S4 Ep59: Nightingales Hub - Nikki Heywood & Jai Roscoe

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