Show Notes
In this inspiring episode, we’re joined by Jai and Nikki from Nightingales Recovery CIC to hear about the incredible work they’re doing across Wirral to support people affected by addiction, homelessness, loneliness and poverty. From providing affordable, nutritious meals to creating safe spaces for recovery, Nightingales is helping people rebuild their lives with dignity, community and absolutely no judgement. About this episode
Nightingales Recovery CIC is a community-led recovery organisation based in Birkenhead, supporting people affected by drug and alcohol addiction while also helping anyone who needs food, companionship or a safe place to turn. As Jai explains in the episode, their approach goes far beyond addiction support. Nightingales helps people who are homeless, people struggling financially, people experiencing loneliness and those simply looking for somewhere welcoming where they can ask for help without feeling judged. A huge part of that work is food. Twice a week, Nightingales opens its doors in the evening and provides more than 100 people with a hot meal, snacks, fruit, water and soup. Their message is simple: they don’t just feed the homeless — they feed the hungry. That can include people sleeping rough, people in recovery and even people who are working but simply cannot afford to cover the basics. Nikki Hayward, founder and director of Nightingales Recovery CIC, also shares how the project began after people using local drug and alcohol services said they desperately needed a safe place where they could meet, connect and work towards recovery. What started with a tiny café selling inexpensive food and drinks has grown into a much wider recovery community offering support groups, wellbeing activities, access to fitness facilities, recovery services and therapeutic support. The episode also explores the growing impact of ketamine addiction among young people, something Nikki says Nightingales is increasingly seeing first-hand. They discuss the devastating physical effects, the impact on families and the need for specialist support for young people and their parents. Nightingales works hard to make accessing support feel as normal and welcoming as possible. Rather than walking into a clinical environment, someone struggling with addiction can simply visit one of the cafés, have a coffee and quietly ask a member of staff for help or an assessment. Many members of the team are themselves recovery champions, having come through services before going on to work within the organisation — giving Nightingales the lived experience that sits at the heart of its approach. The episode also looks at the organisation’s social enterprise model. Rather than relying entirely on donations, money spent in its cafés helps support its wider community and recovery work. So even something as simple as buying a coffee, lunch or one of their homemade dog treats can contribute to the work they’re doing. Nightingales Recovery Café and Hub can be found at: 88–90 Argyle Street Birkenhead Wirral CH41 6AG
There are also café locations in West Kirby and at Victoria Central Hospital in Wallasey. Nightingales Hub is also recognised as part of the wider Wirral Ways drug and alcohol recovery network. Find out more about Nightingales Recovery:
Website: https://nightingalesrecovery.org.uk/
Follow Nightingales Recovery on Facebook and Instagram for updates, support information and fundraising. Support Nightingales Recovery
Nightingales relies on community support to continue providing hot meals, recovery services, emotional support and a safe, welcoming space for people facing addiction, homelessness, isolation and financial hardship. The team is also working to develop its Gather & Graze space, helping create more opportunities for community activities, wellbeing sessions and events that can support the wider work of Nightingales Recovery. If you’d like to support their work, you can donate via their GoFundMe: GoFundMe – Support Nighting
More from Ladies of Liverpool
This week on Ladies of Liverpool, we welcome Sharon Munroe, founder of Equilibrium Northwest CIC and winner of the Merseyside Women of the Year Inspirational Women Award. Sharon shares her remarkable journey from a difficult childhood in Birkenhead to becoming a driving force for positive change in her community. An honest and inspiring conversation about resilience, overcoming adversity and helping others. Growing up in poverty and experiencing childhood trauma, domestic abuse and significant personal challenges, Sharon's early life was far from easy. But rather than allowing those experiences to define her future, she has used them to help others facing similar difficulties. Sharon opens up about her upbringing on the Wirral, the challenges she faced as a teenager and a life-changing assault that left her with serious injuries. She explains how her recovery led her into education, studying health inequalities and discovering her passion for supporting vulnerable people and families. The conversation explores how Sharon founded Equilibrium Northwest CIC in 2014 and went on to transform a community centre in Birkenhead into a welcoming space offering practical support, wellbeing activities, children's holiday programmes, mental health awareness, training, affordable services and a community supermarket. Sharon also discusses the organisation's work supporting families through the cost-of-living crisis, its annual Christmas Day dinners and fundraising efforts, and its plans to expand support for families with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). From childhood adversity to receiving recognition at the Merseyside Women of the Year Awards, Sharon's story highlights the importance of community, determination and creating opportunities for others. It's a powerful conversation about resilience, mental health, social inequality, women's achievements and the difference one person can make in their local community. Listen now to hear Sharon's story and discover the work Equilibrium Northwest is doing to support families and communities across Birkenhead, the Wirral and Merseyside.
This week, Leanne is joined by Jude McMaster, founder of Pearls Project, an incredible Liverpool organisation supporting women involved in sex work and those facing homelessness, trauma, addiction and exploitation. Jude shares how a night outreach almost 20 years ago changed the course of her life, and how Pearls Project is helping women across the city through compassion, practical support and, sometimes, simply being there when somebody needs it most. Leanne and Jude have an important and moving conversation about the women in our city who can so easily be overlooked. Jude's journey began almost 20 years ago when she volunteered on a night outreach supporting women involved in street sex work in Liverpool. What started with handing out sandwiches, hot drinks and essentials gradually became something much bigger, eventually leading to the creation of Pearls Project in 2012. Jude talks openly about the realities faced by many of the women she works with, including homelessness, domestic violence, trauma, addiction, exploitation and what she describes as “survival sex” – situations where women may turn to sex work simply to pay for food, accommodation or other basic needs. But this episode is also about looking beyond labels. Jude explains why Pearls Project focuses on the whole person rather than simply the problems they are facing. From accompanying someone to a health appointment to wellbeing groups, swimming, walks, trips to the beach and even helping one woman rediscover her love of horse riding, sometimes the smallest steps can make an enormous difference. The conversation also explores hidden homelessness among women, the barriers vulnerable people can face when trying to access health, housing and addiction services, and why traditional systems don't always work for somebody living with trauma. At the heart of Pearls Project is a simple idea: meet women where they are, listen without judgement and give them back a sense of choice and control over their own lives.
This week, we are joined by Michelle O’Dwyer, chef, founder of Bay Tree Cookery CIC and Merseyside Woman of the Year 2026. Michelle shares the incredible community work behind her award, from bringing hundreds of people together on Christmas Day to supporting veterans and fundraising through some seriously tough challenges. She also opens up about her own journey with trauma, giving up alcohol and learning to turn some of the hardest experiences of her life into what she now calls her “superpower.”
This week, Leanne is joined by STEM ambassador and aerospace engineer Kristin Pearson-Rampeearee to talk about smashing stereotypes, women in engineering and inspiring the next generation to think bigger. Kristin shares her journey into aerospace, the challenges of working in a male-dominated industry and why she’s passionate about showing young women that a career in STEM really can be for them.
Part 2 of our episode with Love Island’s Robyn Langton. Robyn joins Leanne for the first episode of a brand-new season of Ladies of Liverpool. Robyn lifts the lid on life inside the villa, what really happens when the cameras stop rolling, and how her life has changed since leaving the show. This week on Ladies of Liverpool, Leanne Campbell is joined by Robyn Langton from Love Island Season 13 for a funny, open and refreshingly honest conversation about her whirlwind experience on one of the UK’s biggest reality TV shows. Robyn reveals how applying for Love Island started as a bit of a joke, before she suddenly found herself going through the casting process and heading to Majorca. She talks about leaving behind her career as a quantity surveyor, entering the villa as an original Islander, the friendships she formed and what it was really like trying to find a connection while surrounded by cameras 24/7. She also takes us behind the scenes of the Love Island villa, from producers communicating through what the Islanders nicknamed the “Voice of God”, to trying to second-guess the next twist and discovering just how different the villa feels when you're actually living in it. But what happens when Love Island ends? Robyn opens up about the side viewers rarely see: suddenly being recognised in public, dealing with management and contracts, navigating new opportunities and trying to work out what comes next when you've never worked in the entertainment industry before. Robyn also shares what she wants to do with her new platform, including her passion for DJing, plans to create her own event brand and ambitions to move into presenting. And, of course, Leanne gets the latest on Robyn's love life – including why finding a relationship isn't at the top of her list right now. From Love Island and reality TV to dating, careers, Liverpool nightlife, DJing and life after the villa, it's a proper Ladies of Liverpool chat with plenty of laughs along the way.