What Project 6 does

Project 6 (legally Airedale Voluntary Drug and Alcohol Agency) is a UK registered charity and company limited by guarantee that delivers free, confidential substance use services to individuals, families, and communities across West and South Yorkshire. Headquartered in Keighley with operational offices in Sheffield and Doncaster, the organisation runs a portfolio of harm reduction, recovery, family support, hospital mentoring, and training programmes — including the Likewise service in Sheffield and the New Vision Bradford partnership, both delivered in consortium with national charity Humankind. In 2024, Project 6 supported 8,163 individuals (26% above contracted target), deployed 100+ volunteers contributing 13,604 hours, and reported 82% of service users achieving positive changes in core outcome areas.

The organisation's technology stack is modest: ISO 9000:2015 accredited quality management systems (branded as the FRAMEWORK Quality Management System) underpin service delivery auditing, and secure cloud-based systems hold personnel and training data. There is no proprietary software product or digital platform; the offering is a network of in-person, community-embedded services supported by referral and case management infrastructure.

Project 6's business model is mission-driven rather than commercial. All services to end users are free at the point of access, with revenue sourced from three streams: managed service contracts with local authorities (Bradford MDC, Sheffield CC) and NHS bodies (West Yorkshire ICB, hospital trusts), donations and fundraising via JustGiving and corporate partnerships, and professional training fees through Project 6 Training. The charity employs 98 staff and is governed by a Board of Trustees; following a 2023 expansion via the Humankind partnerships, it has undergone leadership transition in 2024 with a new CEO and Chair, alongside rationalisation of several legacy services whose funding structures changed.

Name

Project 6

Legal name

Airedale Voluntary Drug and Alcohol Agency

Website

https://project6.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Project 6 is a UK registered charity delivering free drug and alcohol harm reduction, recovery, and family support services across West and South Yorkshire, funded primarily through local authority and NHS contracts, donations, and training fees, with operations in Keighley, Sheffield, and Doncaster.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services (BPAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC), Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO)

Keywords

• Substance use treatment
• Harm reduction services
• Recovery support programs
• Community health services
• Drug alcohol services

Headquarters

HQ city

West Burton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts and Commissions: Services commissioned by local authorities (Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Sheffield City Council) and NHS bodies (West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board) to deliver drug and alcohol treatment services.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Financial donations from individuals and corporate partners, including JustGiving platform donations and business partnerships for fundraising, volunteering, and sponsorships.
3. Training Services: External training services for organisations and professionals working with vulnerable groups, delivered through Project 6 Training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Project 6 is a registered charity delivering free, confidential drug and alcohol harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and family support services to individuals and communities across West and South Yorkshire. Its offering spans hospital mentoring, peer-led recovery hubs, structured recovery programmes, community development, gambling harms support, and external vocational training for professionals working with vulnerable groups, funded primarily through local authority and NHS contracts and supplemented by donations.

Product overview

Project 6 is a charity providing substance use support services across South and West Yorkshire (Doncaster, Sheffield, Keighley). The organization offers a portfolio of integrated services including harm reduction (Third Place, Needle Exchange), recovery support (ARC, Sober Social, Better Together LERO), family services (Fresh Start, Concerned Others), training, and specialist services (Hospital Mentoring, MAST partnership). Services operate through location-based teams and partnerships with organisations including Humankind and New Vision Bradford. The offering is not a software product but a network of person-centred social/health services designed to meet people where they are.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Likewise: Alcohol and drug service for adults in Sheffield, partnership with Humankind
• New Vision Bradford
• MAST (Multi Agency Support Team)
• Fresh Start
• The ARC
• Hospital Mentoring Service
• Sober Social
• Better Together
• Project 6 Training

Products and services

• MAST (Multi Agency Support Team) Partnership service combining hospital-based interventions with community follow-up to reduce hospital readmissions and improve wellbeing across Bradford and Airedale. In 2024-25 MAST supported over 3,200 patients in hospital and 1,100 in the community.
• Likewise (Sheffield alcohol and drug service) Free, confidential alcohol and drug service for adults in Sheffield, offering harm reduction, recovery navigation, clinical and therapeutic interventions, and family support, delivered in partnership with Humankind.
• New Vision Bradford Drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services across Bradford District including harm reduction, care coordination, clinical and psychosocial therapeutic interventions, and lived-experience-led recovery community.
• The ARC Recovery Service Peer-led drug and alcohol recovery support in Sheffield providing relapse prevention through diverse therapeutic groups, peer support, and wellbeing activities.
• Fresh Start Sheffield service supporting mothers who have had children accommodated by the local authority, helping them address loss, build resilience, increase wellbeing, and develop new skills.
• Hospital Mentoring Service Support for people over 50 admitted to hospital with alcohol-related issues, providing peer mentoring to prevent relapse and readmission across Sheffield.
• Third Place (Harm Reduction Project) Harm reduction project in Keighley working with street drinkers and vulnerable excluded groups, providing drop-in support, interventions, and basic needs.
• Sober Social Community recovery service in Doncaster providing one-to-one interventions and daily activities in a city centre open-door setting.
• Better Together (Lived Experience Recovery Organisation) Lived Experience Recovery Organisation in Doncaster led by people with lived experience of substance use, consulting with the community to identify barriers to support.
• Structured Recovery Programme Intensive 12-session course consolidating positive life changes for people in recovery from problematic drug and alcohol use.
• Project 6 Training External vocational training courses equipping professionals and organisations with skills to work with vulnerable groups and people experiencing multiple disadvantage.
• Gambling Harms Service Sheffield service providing prevention and treatment support for individuals experiencing gambling-related harm, families, and young people.
• Concerned Others and Family Support Service Support service for families and friends of people affected by a loved one's substance use, providing peer support groups, family education, and skills in managing feelings and building resilience across Keighley and beyond.
• Keighley Pathways Service Partnership project offering open access specialist support in crisis situations for anyone in Keighley.
• ASIST Service (Alcohol Specialist Intervention at Airedale) Specialist alcohol support at Airedale General Hospital providing bedside motivational interventions for patients admitted for alcohol-related reasons.
• Young Persons Resilience Service (RISE) Keighley service providing one-to-one interventions for young people experiencing mental health issues below CAMHS threshold.

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% of individuals demonstrated positive changes in one or more core outcome areas
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Likewise Partnership with HumankindcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Likewise is the alcohol and drug service for adults in Sheffield, delivered in partnership between Humankind and Project 6. Provides free, confidential, non-judgemental support including harm reduction, recovery navigation, clinical and therapeutic interventions. Also provides support for family members. Commissioned by Sheffield City Council.
• New Vision Bradford Partnership (Humankind, The Bridge Project, Create Strength Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023New Vision Bradford is a partnership providing drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services across Bradford District, led by national charity Humankind. Services include harm reduction, care coordination, clinical and psychosocial therapeutic interventions. Create Strength Group provides support for people who become abstinent to create a lived experience-led recovery community. Commissioned by Bradford Metropolitan District Council and NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.
• MAST Partnership (The Cellar Trust, Carers' Resource, HALE, Keighley Healthy Living)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAST is a partnership of five local voluntary sector organisations transforming urgent and emergency care across Bradford and Airedale. By combining hospital-based interventions with community support, MAST helps reduce readmissions, improve wellbeing, and ease pressure on NHS services. In 2024-25, MAST supported over 3,200 patients in hospital and 1,100 in the community. Won Charity Collaboration of the Year award at Charity Times Awards.
• VCS organisations and local authoritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with various voluntary, community and statutory organisations across West and South Yorkshire. Includes collaborations with local authorities in assisting with design and development of new services. Strong network of VCS partners for referral and service delivery.
• Changing Futures SheffieldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Changing Futures delivering training on behalf of the initiative for public and voluntary organisations across Sheffield to better equip front-line staff working with vulnerable groups.
• Hey GirlsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFresh Start, Project 6 is a community partner of Hey Girls, an organisation working to eradicate period poverty. Free period products are provided to clients who menstruate through this partnership.
• Transform Drug Policy FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for joint events including the 'Take Ketamine Seriously' conference in Doncaster, bringing together communities, services, policymakers, and people with lived experience for harm reduction discussions.
• The LoopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK's first dedicated drug checking charity, delivering evidence-informed drug checking and harm reduction services. Partner for conferences on emerging drug trends.
• Likewise (with Project 6 involvement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecovery Hub with first Ambassadors Programme - structured training and development equipping people looking to work within the drug and alcohol field with skills for successful careers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Aquarius Action for Young People: UK charity supporting young people and adults affected by drugs, alcohol, gambling and mental health issues. Comparable as a peer delivering substance use and gambling harms services, with particular overlap with Project 6's gambling harms launch and RISE young persons service.
• Kenward Trust: Smaller UK charity providing residential and community drug and alcohol recovery programmes. Comparable as a specialist recovery peer with overlapping harm-reduction and peer-led service models, though at smaller scale.

Direct peers

• The Nelson Trust: UK charity providing drug and alcohol treatment, women's services and recovery housing. Comparable as a similarly-sized specialist peer with overlapping women's support (Fresh Start equivalent) and recovery services.
• Cranstoun: UK charity supporting people affected by drugs, alcohol, criminal justice involvement and domestic abuse. Comparable as a specialist nonprofit peer delivering harm reduction, recovery, and family services at similar scale to Project 6.
• Phoenix Futures: UK charity providing residential and community drug and alcohol recovery services. Comparable as a directly competing specialist in substance use recovery, particularly in structured recovery programmes.
• Humankind: National UK charity delivering drug and alcohol treatment, recovery and wellbeing services. Directly comparable as the lead partner alongside Project 6 in both the Likewise (Sheffield) and New Vision Bradford contracts, making it both a collaborator and the most direct competitive peer.
• The Forward Trust: UK charity delivering substance use treatment in prisons and communities, including recovery and family support. Comparable as a directly competing specialist in drug and alcohol services with overlapping harm-reduction and recovery offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Turning Point: Large social enterprise delivering substance use, mental health, learning disability and employment services across the UK. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing in the same public-sector commissioned treatment space.
• Change Grow Live: One of the UK's largest charities providing drug and alcohol, criminal justice, housing and mental health services. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same local authority and NHS substance use contracts that Project 6 bids on across Yorkshire and nationally.
• We Are With You: National UK charity (formerly Addaction) offering free drug, alcohol and mental health support. Comparable as a major incumbent operating commissioned substance use services that overlap directly with Project 6's core offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Project6Keighley
• Instagraminstagram.com/_project6_
• Xx.com/Project6_

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Project 6