Back in 2016, our team launched the first recovery app for people in Edinburgh, ARC-Edinburgh.
This was an exciting time, with a lot of publicity, which meant more and more people used the ARC-Edinburgh app! Find out more about why we devloped ARC-Edinburgh and how that has led to ARC2.0 launching in 2021 below.
The idea for ARC-Edinburgh came about in 2014, when we (Anne-Marie Mann and Ella Robbins) decided to enter 'Edinburgh apps' competition.
We saw an opportunity to use technology to make existing council and recovery support services work for the people who use them. The council and EADP thought so too, and worked with us to make it a reality. With funding we were able to work with the recovery community in Edinburgh to make an app they would want to use. In May 2016 ARC-Edinburgh was launched, and promoted, at health conferences, on TV & radio and across the press. During its lifetime ARC-Edinburgh was used more than 26000 times!
Sadly, time, technology and funding meant that the app stopped being functional in 2018. Since then, we have been working on funding to continue it's life in the form of ARC2.0.
We are incredibly proud of all the support ARC-Edinburgh received in order for it to become a reality. Sharing all of the hard work with others was part of our dream. See what we achieved in 2016 (and will better in 2021!).
Maybe you read the small article about us in The Times newpaper in June 2016 (left). Published in response to a conference appearance, The Times reported "what it is going to do is give you all the tools and support you might find useful at your fingertips", something we still believe in.
In 2019, the Open Data Institute (ODI) used ARC-Edinburgh as a useful example of open data being used in public service delivery. As well as describing ARC-Edinburgh, the ODI emphasised the scalability and possibilities of our app, and how open data can be successfully used to rethink public services.
Back in 2016 when ARC-Edinburgh launched we were interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland, Newsdrive. Listen to us talk about how the app works, what motivated us to make the app and how by working with EADP and the recovery community in Edinburgh we were able to make it a reality.
Back in 2016 we were interviewed on STV's Live at Five. It was great exposure for ARC-Edinburgh but nerve wracking for us. Not only are we camera shy, but the studio was full of the stars of Nashville. Talk about starstruck. Please enjoy watching our nervous TV debut!
If you want to learn more about the app or have something to share then please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.