Recovery Month 2026: Our Round-Up
September is Recovery Month, and 2026 has been one of our busiest yet at Wirral Ways. From a market full of people celebrating recovery within their community, to a coach trip to Bradford, to a netball court full of first-timers, this year showed recovery in every form it takes. Here’s everything we got up to.
CGL National Football Tournament
Before Recovery Month even started, two Wirral Ways teams took part in CGL’s National Football Tournament, played in August as a warm-up to September’s celebrations. Earlier in the month, over 50 teams and more than 450 people from across CGL services in England and Scotland took part in the regional heats.
The tournament is CGL’s annual celebration of recovery, community, and connection, bringing together people with lived experience, volunteers, colleagues, and partner organisations as equals. Job titles get put to one side for the day, and what’s left is a shared love of the game and the kind of camaraderie that helps services stay rooted in the communities they serve.
Wirral Ways didn’t make it past the regional heats this year, but both teams represented the service superbly and had a fantastic day.
Ray Smith, Outreach Worker and Football Lead at Wirral Ways: “It wasn’t about the result on the day, it was about getting out there, having fun, and seeing what a game of football can do for people’s physical wellbeing and sense of team.”
Congratulations to every team that took part, and good luck to all this year’s finalists.
Recovery Fest 2026
Recovery Fest took place on 10 September at Birkenhead Market, delivered in partnership with Wirral Council Public Health and a wide range of partner services who joined us to perform, run stalls, and deliver activities on the day. Over 1,000 people came through the market, making it one of the biggest public celebrations of recovery Wirral has seen.
Gary Rickwood, Drug & Alcohol Commissioner at Wirral Council: “Recovery Fest is exactly the kind of event Wirral, and everywhere else, needs. and Wirral does it so well! It showcases and celebrates recovery, in its many forms, and with its many brilliant talents, right in the heart of the community, and also shows people that high quality support is there for them, whenever they’re ready to reach out.”
That scale matters. Recovery Month exists because stigma still keeps people from getting help, and events like this put recovery in the middle of the town centre rather than tucked away. People in recovery, their families, staff, and the wider community stood shoulder to shoulder, and there was nothing to hide.
Jacob Jones, Project Manager at Wirral Ways: “It was a fantastic recovery community event, bringing so many people together. Seeing the market full of people who use our services, their families, staff and partners and the general public all in one place, celebrating recovery openly rather than hiding it away, that’s what Recovery Month is all about.”
Wirral Recovery Awards
The Wirral Recovery Awards formed part of Recovery Fest, celebrating the people, professionals, and community partners who make recovery possible across Wirral, recognising those who’ve gone above and beyond to support recovery, challenge stigma, and build a stronger, more connected community. Each award represents a different part of the recovery journey, from individuals finding their feet to teams transforming how we work together.
There were over 60 nominations, and without exception or exaggeration they were all excellent and worthy of consideration. It was very hard indeed to select winners, but all of those who did win were highly deserving of that acknowledgement.
People in Recovery
Journey of Hope Award, for someone who has shown strength, resilience, and courage on their recovery journey, inspiring others with their determination and honesty, went to Peter O, whose journey took him from homelessness, prison and long-term alcohol dependence to stable housing, abstinence, and community engagement, and Lisa C, who overcame addiction and isolation, pursued education, maintained her recovery, and now volunteers to help other women.
Peer Champion Award, for someone in recovery who has gone above and beyond to support others, went to Jenny B, who uses her lived experience to encourage families, champion service-user voices, and support recovery-focused groups, and Noel C, who leads recovery groups and volunteers widely across community and faith settings.
New Beginnings Award, for someone early in their recovery who has made a strong, positive start, went to Jess T, approaching one year alcohol-free while promoting wellbeing, reducing stigma, and creating supportive community initiatives.
Community Members
Community Ally Award, for someone outside of services who has made a meaningful difference in supporting recovery and reducing stigma, went to Aeron J, who challenges stigma through lived experience and promotes inclusion within the community.
Inspiration Through Creativity Award, for someone who has used art, music, theatre, or creative expression to support recovery, went to Jaimie C, who uses poetry and creative writing to share recovery experiences and challenge perceptions of addiction and recovery.
Cross-Community
The Together We Thrive Award, a special recognition for collaborative working, went to Tomorrow’s Women, an excellent example of trauma-informed partnership working, bringing services together to support women holistically.
Professionals
Outstanding Professional Contribution Award went to Annie J, who delivers intensive support to vulnerable residents and is a strong advocate for service users, valued by hostel clients and partner agencies alike.
Innovator in Recovery Award went to Laura H, who provides transformative art psychotherapy, creating safe therapeutic spaces that contribute significantly to recovery journeys.
Outstanding Community Engagement Award went to Gary O, who supports volunteer development and has created innovative community projects and recovery-focused events that amplify lived-experience voices.
Lifetime Achievement
One award stood out for all of us. Julie M, Health Care Assistant at Wirral Ways, won the Lifetime Achievement Award, a special recognition awarded by the panel to someone who has dedicated their career to making lasting and sustained change for people in recovery. Julie’s career began at the Maryland Centre in Liverpool, at the birth of harm reduction as we now know it. Decades on, she is still championing testing, harm reduction, and support for some of the most marginalised communities affected by drug and alcohol use. It’s a career built on the belief that everyone deserves support, no matter where they are in their journey, and it was a genuine privilege to mark it publicly.
We’ll be sharing more winners’ stories over the coming months, so keep an eye on the blog and our socials.
UK Recovery Walk, Bradford
We provided a coach for the UK Recovery Walk in Bradford, with 30 people from our service and the wider recovery community making the trip. Standing alongside thousands of people from recovery communities across the country and world is always a powerful reminder that nobody has to do this alone, and by all accounts, a brilliant day was had by everyone who went.
One attendee said: “Walking alongside thousands of people who understand exactly what recovery means, without having to explain yourself, that’s something I’ll never forget.”
Social Media Campaign
We ran a themed weekly campaign across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky and Threads, with a different focus each week:
Week one: Connection and lived experience. Real stories from people across Wirral’s recovery community, spotlighting the Wirral Lived Experience Network and our Service User Reps, who champion service users’ voices at every level of how Wirral Ways is run.
Week two: Wellbeing and recovery. A look at the holistic side of support, from yoga, acupuncture, and reiki, to the Spider Project’s creative arts and wellbeing programme (supporting people across Wirral since 2007), gym and walking groups, and ABL’s smoking cessation and gambling harm support across the borough.
Week three: Families, children and young people, and celebration. Family and carer perspectives through the Spider Project’s SILK initiative and Life is a Gift, our peer-led support group for people affected by a loved one’s drug or alcohol use, plus a celebration of our partnership with Response, Wirral Council’s young person’s drug and alcohol service.
Week four: Women and recovery. Stories from our Women’s Workers, our Women’s Health Huddle, and the Think Family Team, who support pregnant women through their recovery journey.
We also took part in Liverpool City Region’s Recovery Month Merseyside campaign, cross-promoting content with partners from across the region and contributing our own stories and case studies to a wider regional push on recovery. It meant Wirral’s story reached beyond the borough as part of a much bigger conversation happening across Merseyside.
Between the two strands, we kept recovery visible and talked about all month, not just on the big event days.
Netball Taster Event
We teamed up with England Netball, Tranmere Rovers in the Community, and Liverpool Homeless Football Club to run a netball taster event, and the turnout went well beyond what we expected. People from across our community took part, including people who use Wirral Ways’ services and a group of players from Wirral Mind. For some, it was their first time ever picking up a netball. For others, it was a way back into a sport they hadn’t played in years.
Three England Netball coaches ran the session in two halves: drills and basics first, covering passing, footwork, shooting, and positioning, followed by a relaxed mini tournament that kept the focus on enjoyment rather than competition.
Ruby Hargrove, Wirral Ways Health & Wellbeing Support Worker, organised the event: “The turnout was brilliant, and it was fantastic to see so many new faces giving netball a go. Netball is such a great way for people to keep fit, socialise and make new friends. It doesn’t matter what your experience is or where you’re starting from, there’s a place for you on the court. Seeing people who’d never played before laughing, cheering each other on and building connections was exactly what we hoped for.”
Recovery isn’t only about the absence of substances. It’s about building a life worth living, and that means new interests, new routines, and new people to share them with. Sport does that in a way few other things can: it gets people moving, gets them out of the house, and builds connection without needing conversation to carry it. For some of the people who took part, stepping onto that court was as significant as any other part of their recovery journey. There’s already an appetite to make it a regular fixture, so watch this space.
HMP Liverpool Event
On 22 September, we joined CGL services from across the North West and a range of recovery services, community projects, and people with lived experience for an event at HMP Liverpool. It was well attended, with inmates taking part in talks and getting time to mix and speak directly with the different organisations present.
Events like this matter because recovery support has to reach people wherever they are, including inside the prison estate, and because hearing directly from people with lived experience can be the spark that starts someone’s own journey. It was a strong way to carry Recovery Month’s message beyond the community and into places where it can make just as much difference.
Partnerships Across the System
None of this happens in isolation. Recovery Fest alone brought together Wirral Council Public Health and a wide range of partner services, and the netball event was only possible because England Netball, Tranmere Rovers in the Community, Liverpool Homeless Football Club, and Wirral Mind all came on board.
This month’s social media content told that story too, from the Wirral Lived Experience Network and the Spider Project, to Response, our partner in young people’s services, to Liverpool City Region’s Recovery Month Merseyside campaign. Beyond the events and the posts, we continued to work alongside partners across health, housing, criminal justice, and peer support throughout the month, including at HMP Liverpool, delivering training, advice, and interventions together. Recovery Month gave us a reason to shout about that system-wide working, but the partnerships behind it run all year.
Looking Ahead
Recovery Month may be drawing to a close, but the work doesn’t stop when the month does. Thank you to everyone who came to an event, shared a post, volunteered, or simply talked openly about recovery this September. If you or someone you know needs support, you can reach Wirral Ways on 0151 556 1335 or at wirral.services@cgl.org.uk.
Last Updated on 30 September 2026