Liscard youth outreach team celebrated with National Innovation award
Two youth workers from Wirral Council have been given a national award for the creative and innovative way they’ve engaged with and supported young people in Liscard.
Katrina Maxwell and Lydia Parsons, who are part of the Wallasey Detached Youth Work team, received the Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAP) Innovation Award at a ceremony held in the House of Commons, marking national recognition for their outstanding work.
Working within the Liscard CAP, Katrina and Lydia led the development of an innovative programme introducing young people to Natural Highs - positive, engaging experiences that provide meaningful alternatives to alcohol and substance use while supporting mental wellbeing and resilience.
Working closely with partners in the CAP, including Asda, the team has taken youth work directly into the places where young people spend their time, ensuring support reaches those who may not access traditional services.
Throughout summer 2025, they delivered a series of interactive sessions in Central Park, combining fun activities with important education around alcohol awareness and safer choices.
Their creative methods, such as the popular Drug Ball quiz, alcohol awareness games, and the use of beer goggles to demonstrate impaired judgement, have helped open honest conversations with young people about risk, safety, and decision making. The team also shared practical skills including emergency response and recovery position training.
They also hosted bushcraft sessions at Bidston Hill, delivered with partners Grow Wellbeing. For many of the young people involved, activities such as fire-lighting, outdoor cooking, campfire socialising, and local foraging provided their first experience of positive outdoor activity away from urban pressures.
The Liscard Detached Youth team also makes regular use of the Kontactabus mobile youth bus, offering a safe and welcoming space where youth workers can build trusted relationships over time. This consistent presence enables important conversations about alcohol harms, mental health, and safer choices, as well as providing enjoyable alternatives to substance use.
Councillor Stephen Bennett, Chair of Wirral Council’s Children and Young People Committee said:
This programme shows the real impact that comes from meeting young people where they are, building trusted relationships, and offering positive choices that help them stay safe and thrive. The creativity and commitment shown by our youth workers and partners is making a meaningful difference in young people’s lives, and I’m delighted to see this recognised nationally. Supporting initiatives like this is vital to ensuring our communities remain safe, healthy and full of opportunity for all young people.
