Liscard Youth Outreach team wins Innovation Award for creative work supporting young people

Two youth workers from Wallasey Detached Youth Services in the Wirral, have been recognised with the Community Alcohol Partnerships Innovation Award for their outstanding and creative work supporting young people in Liscard.

CAPs are community-led partnerships which bring together local police, councils, schools, retailers, and community groups. Their primary goal is to reduce underage alcohol consumption and the resulting harms, improving health and well-being, and enhancing the wider community.

Katrina Maxwell and Lydia Parsons in their roles within Liscard CAP have developed an innovative programme centred on introducing young people to Natural Highs - positive activities and experiences offering alternatives to alcohol and substance use while supporting mental wellbeing and resilience.

Supported by CAP and Asda, one of CAP’s funders, outreach sessions directly in the spaces where young people gather, ensuring support reached those least likely to access traditional services. Over several days in Central Park in summer 2025, the team connected with dozens of young people through interactive sessions combining education and fun activities.

Creative approaches helped open conversations around alcohol and substance use. Popular activities included a Drug Ball quiz encouraging myth-busting discussions, alcohol awareness games comparing drink strengths, and demonstrations using beer goggles to highlight how alcohol impairs judgement and increases risk. Practical safety advice, including emergency response and recovery position training, was also shared.

Further innovation saw young people taken on bushcraft sessions at Bidston Hill, delivered with partners Grow Wellbeing. Participants learned fire-lighting skills, enjoyed outdoor cooking and social activities around a campfire, and even explored local foraging. For many, it was their first experience of positive outdoor activity away from urban pressures.

The detached youth team also makes regular use of the Kontactabus mobile youth provision, providing safe spaces and enabling youth workers to build trusted relationships with young people over time. This consistent presence allows the team to discuss alcohol harms, mental health and safer choices while offering alternatives to substance use.

Commenting on the award, CAP Director Kate Winstanley said:

“Katrina and Lydia and the Liscard CAP team have shown how creative, youth-led outreach can transform conversations around alcohol and substance use. By meeting young people where they are and offering exciting alternatives through activities that build confidence and wellbeing, they are making a real difference in a community facing significant challenges. Their work is a brilliant example of innovation in action and thoroughly deserving of this year’s Innovation Award.”

The Liscard CAP team will receive their award at a ceremony held in the House of Commons on 2nd March 2026.