Liverpool Recovery Month’s final week showcases inclusive recovery events across the city

The closing week of Liverpool Recovery Month is centred on the ways that gender, sexuality, identity and personal history intersect with the recovery process, offering a mix of coffee mornings, creative workshops, film showings, walks and alcohol-free social events.

Council representatives stressed the importance of respectful, person-centred help. Harry Doyle, the cabinet member for health, wellbeing and culture, said that every resident should feel safe and understood when asking for assistance, and that the programme underlines the availability of support for all gender and sexual identities. Public health director Matthew Ashton added that services need to view people holistically and that listening to diverse experiences enables more compassionate care.

The schedule begins on Monday 21 September with a PSS-run coffee, cake and chat session at Dutch Barn in Garston from 10:00 to 13:00, alongside a Big Life Recovery coffee gathering at the community hub on Lydia Ann Street, timing to be confirmed. That same day marks the launch of the Invisible Cities Tour Guide Cohort, with venue and time yet to be announced.

Mid-week activities continue on Wednesday 23 September with another PSS coffee, cake and chat at the Millersmede Annexe on Athol Street, running from 10:30 to 13:30. Thursday 24 September features a Sefton Recovery Walk and balloon release that will travel from Change Grow Live Sefton to Crosby Beach, timing pending. The day also hosts a community film screening – the Recovery Street Film Festival – at Lucem Community Cinema in St Helens from 13:00 to 16:00, an Emerging Futures Recovery Share at RIVER’s City Centre Hub at 13:30, and a free exhibition titled Close to Home exploring suicide and bereavement at the Arrivals Hall in the Cunard Building, open from 08:00 to 23:00.

Friday 25 September offers targeted sessions for LGBTQ+ residents, starting with a lunchtime recovery group at the Big Life Community Hub from 13:00 to 14:30. The evening brings an alcohol-free social called Drink and Draw: Dry Edition at Lovelocks Coffee Shop, running from 18:00 to 20:00; participants must book via Eventbrite. The same day, Change Grow Live hosts a closed Knowsley Recovery Celebration Day in Huyton, timing to be confirmed.

The final two days of the programme include a recovery information stand at Clock View Hospital on Tuesday 29 September, run jointly by Change Grow Live Sefton and RIVER Liverpool, with exact times and access details to be finalised. The Close to Home exhibition also extends its opening hours at the Arrivals Hall, remaining accessible until 20:00.

Throughout the week, RIVER Liverpool continues to provide free, confidential drug and alcohol support for adults, including a dedicated Women’s Hub, reachable on 0151 706 7888 without the need for an appointment. The LGBT Foundation supplies specialist recovery and wellbeing assistance for LGBTQIA+ people. A full list of recovery and wellbeing services across Liverpool and Merseyside is available at the council’s public health link.