our history
1977 – Our work is first set up by national charity NACRO as an advisory service for ex-offenders and those about to leave prison
1978 – Our education project is set up on its own premises and called ‘Manchester Education Resettlement Centre’
1980s – The MERC education service reaches around 500 ex-offenders each year. The MERC model is copied nationally with education centres set up in several cities in the UK.
1991 – NACRO changes its focus and the staff at the education centre decide to set up a charity to ensure that the education work can continue
1992 – We become an independent and registered charity, named NEARIS (Northern Education and Resettlement Information Services)
1997 – NEARIS sets up mini education centres in Salford, Oldham and Bolton in partnership with the Probation service
2002 – NEARIS start running outreach courses in hostels and day centre settings
2007 – David Haley, the founder of the work, retires as Director after 30 years’ service
2008 – We decide to start a process of looking for a new name for NEARIS
2009 – ‘Back on Track’ is our new name from December 2009 onwards