Recovering Leeds drug addict turned soap manufacturer takes the plunge with bathtub challenge

A recovering drug addict from Leeds is taking on a charity challenge with a difference, which will see him spend up to 60 hours sitting in a bathtub in City Square in Leeds city centre to shine a light on the determination, resilience and community support that is required to beat addiction.

Chris Sylvester is the founder of Leeds-based social enterprise Getting Clean. The Community Interest Company (CIC), which produces and sells handmade bars of soap, will stage TUBtrap in City Square from 7 to 9 August 2026, and is inviting businesses and the public to get behind the challenge by raising £50,000 through soap sales. Reaching the fundraising target will unlock a £20,000 donation to a lived-experience recovery project, delivered in collaboration with Forward Leeds.

Established from a small volunteer initiative, Getting Clean has grown into a CIC employing six people in recovery from its base in Armley, Leeds. The company pledges to donate 50 per cent of its profits to organisations that support recovering addicts around the UK. The social enterprise secured £150,000 from the Postcode Innovation Trust (People’s Postcode Lottery), to deliver a business plan, selling soap and championing employment and peer-led support as powerful drivers of lasting change. Getting Clean has recently completed a one week pop up shop in John Lewis in Leeds, selling almost 1,000 bars of soap.

Chris Sylvester said: “Getting Clean began as a small group of people in recovery picking litter and planting trees in Leeds. Today we have built a sustainable social enterprise that creates jobs, funds peer-led recovery and shows that people with lived experience are not defined by their past, but by the contribution they make to their communities.

“Businesses have a unique opportunity to help us prove that doing good and doing business can go hand in hand. By purchasing soap or funding pay-it-forward packs, organisations can support practical recovery pathways built on giving recovering addicts employment, dignity and the guidance of people who have walked the same path.”

Businesses across Leeds and Yorkshire are encouraged to participate by purchasing corporate gifts, placing bulk orders, stocking products or funding “First Day Packs” for individuals entering treatment or leaving prison. Every purchase contributes directly to the fundraising target, whilst supporting jobs and opportunities for people rebuilding their lives.

The event, delivered in partnership with Leeds City Council, will be livestreamed throughout on TikTok via @gettingcleansoap and the team will also welcome visitors to Leeds City Square.

Chris said: “We are hoping that hundreds of people will come down to support the challenge and we are keen to get as many corporate businesses as possible on board too. It won’t be easy, but I’ve been through a lot, and my recovery journey has taught me that with the support of others you can achieve anything you set your mind to!”

TUBtrap runs continuously from midday on Friday 7 August until midnight on Sunday 9 August 2026, or until the £50,000 target is reached.