Nightingales Community Café joins forces with Feeding Birkenhead

Nightingales Community Café on Argyle Street was created as part of CGL's Wirral Ways To Recovery service to offer a comfortable and friendly space run by community volunteers.

All meals and hot drinks are paid for donations.

Now working in conjunction with Frank Field's Feeding Birkenhead and Wirral Council, Nightingales participates in a food vouchers scheme providing hot meals for people who are in need.

Crisis referrals will be taken from Feeding Birkenhead’s new community café and supermarket, Number 7 at the Pyramids shopping precinct when it opens in the autumn.

Andrew Cass from CGL, who helps to deliver the Wirral Ways To Recovery service, told the Globe: "We are really keen to encourage people to come along, enjoy themselves, hang out, and have a chat. Everybody’s welcome.

"We also offer a discreet advice and an open access service for people who would feel more comfortable accessing services via the anonymity offered by the Café."

There is also a 'pay it forward' scheme where customers donate to pay for others who find themselves in financial difficulty.

Mr Field said: "Nightingales embodies the very best qualities of both providing a terrific service to the public and doing so in such a way as to offer a vital lifeline to some of the most vulnerable people in Birkenhead.

"This really is a stunning contribution in so many ways to the town.

"Crucially, it gives the public a new and direct way of buying meals and hot drinks for vulnerable people, including those who are homeless."

Above the Café, a variety of recovery orientated activities is offered alongside educational and employment support opportunities. The Café supports mutual aid meetings every evening except Thursday.

Nightingales is now fully open, including every Wednesday for 'Film Nights', and will be hosting music and ‘open mic’ nights, along with other fun activities.