Stories of hope

Ben’s story: rebuilding life after alcohol use

After accessing support from Wirral Ways for his alcohol use, Ben began making steady changes that helped him regain stability, restore his career and look ahead to the future with confidence. His story is a reminder that recovery is possible, and that with the right...

No Smoking Day 2026 | Nikki’s Story: One Day You Might Surprise Yourself

Stopping smoking is something I had tried before. Like a lot of people, I had more than one go at it over the years. Sometimes I managed for a while, sometimes I didn’t. Each time it knocked my confidence a little bit, and eventually I started to wonder whether...

Recovery, Routine and a Way Forward: Josie’s Story

Josie was referred into Wirral Ways by Social Services and later supported by Recovery Works following a referral from her Recovery Coordinator. When Josie first engaged with the service, she had been unemployed since 2020 and described feeling overwhelmed and unable...

Finding the Right Work at the Right Time: Toby’s Story

When Toby first engaged with Wirral Ways, he had been unemployed for around eight months and was keen to return to work but felt unsure about what direction to take. At that point, Toby was managing ongoing alcohol use alongside mental health difficulties, low...

Celebrating Connection and Community at the Wirral Ways Inclusion Cup

On 18 November, we welcomed friends from Coolmine Recovery in Dublin, Victory Outreach in Liverpool and Liverpool Homeless Football Club for a brilliant day of football, connection and community on the Wirral. Coolmine even flew over in the morning and headed back...

Recovery Fest 2025 – celebrating creativity, connection, and recovery across Wirral

More than 500 people came together on Thursday 23 October 2025 for Wirral’s first ever Recovery Festival; a powerful day of art, music, storytelling, and celebration that shone a light on recovery across the borough. Hosted at Future Yard and Nightingales Recovery CIC...

Wirral Recovery Awards 2025 – The Winners

Babs Gallimore – Community Ally Award For nearly eight years, Babs Gallimore has been a cornerstone of Wirral’s recovery community. Her journey with Wirral Ways began from a deeply personal place — after losing her son to alcohol addiction, she channelled her grief...

Sue’s Story: “This Is Just the Beginning”

After years of battling addiction and relapse, Sue reached a turning point—a moment where things could either continue as they were or change for good. And for the first time in a long time, she chose to do things differently. Watch Sue's story here:...

Tara’s Story: “I Didn’t Go Through All That for Nothing”

Before she found support through Wirral Ways and the Discovery Academy, Tara was in a dark place—physically and emotionally. Watch Tara's Story here: https://youtu.be/wz0BgxnWadM “I was very, very, very poorly,” she explains. “I’d already been through a coma, two long...

Rachel’s Story: From 28 Years in Addiction to Discovery Academy Graduate

For 28 years, Rachel lived in the grip of addiction. She never thought recovery was possible—until everything changed just 18 months ago. Watch Rachel's Story here: https://youtu.be/wz0BgxnWadM “I'd never got clean before,” she says. “But that all started to change...