Phoenix
Alternative education
Southport
Alternative education and pastoral support for 16-25 year olds across Southport and North Sefton.
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The organisations
None of this is a commercial arrangement. Nobody here pays me and I do not pay them. These are places I give time to, or send people to, because they do something I cannot.
Open any card for the full profile - what they do, who it is for, where they are, and how to get hold of them.
For 16-25 year olds
Professional mentoring
Liverpool City Region
Professional mentoring for 16-25 year olds across the Liverpool City Region who are not in full-time education or work.
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Everyone else
Host venue and practical support
Southport
A church and community hub in the centre of Southport offering practical and pastoral support to anyone who walks in.
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Mettle’s own initiative
PR8 & PR9
A grassroots initiative offering free wellbeing support and skills-building to adults across PR8 and PR9.
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Social prescribing
Southport & Formby
A health and wellbeing charity connecting people across Southport and Formby to practical, social and financial support.
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Identity Dads
Peer support for fathers
PR8 & PR9
A peer community for fathers who want to show up for their kids and for themselves.
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How this actually works
Free at the point of use
Everything on this page is free to the person using it. Where I deliver the work myself, it is unpaid.
Mostly no referral
Most of these can be approached directly. You do not need a GP, a diagnosis, or a professional to make the introduction for you.
Signposted, not subcontracted
Each organisation runs its own service on its own terms. I point people toward them; I do not speak for them or manage what they do.
Straight to their websites
If you would rather skip the profiles and go direct.
- Phoenix Community & Youth ProjectPhoenix on the Sefton Directory→
- LFC Foundation Mentor WorksLFC Foundation→
- The Salvation Army SouthportThe Salvation Army Southport→
- Project SandgrounderFull programme detail→
- Brighter Living PartnershipBrighter Living Partnership→
- Identity Dads CICIdentity Dads CIC→
Want to work alongside Mettle?
If you run something local that supports the same people, I would rather know about it than not. And if you came here looking for free support rather than a partnership, the community page is the one you want.
Phoenix
Alternative education
Phoenix Community & Youth Project
Alternative education and pastoral support for 16-25 year olds across Southport and North Sefton.
- 16-25
- North Sefton
- Education
- Neurodivergence
About
Phoenix Community & Youth Project is an alternative education provider working across Southport and the wider North Area of Sefton.
The main activity is pastoral support through an individualised action plan, helping people break down the barriers standing between them and work, education or training.
Who it's for
- Young people aged 16 to 25
- Living in Southport or the North Area of Sefton
- Mostly those Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), because of how the work is funded
- A ten-year specialism in Special Educational Needs, neurodivergence and ADHD
What to expect
- Personal development programmes
- Functional Skills qualifications in Maths, English and Digital Skills
- CV writing, interview practice and job search skills
My involvement
A registered charity working with the age group that most often falls through the gap between school and work. I signpost younger men here when what they need is a route back into education or employment, not a counselling room.
Contact
Registered Charity No. 1152481
Unit 5 Shakespeare Centre45-51 Shakespeare StreetSouthport PR8 5AB- Named contact
- Ray Moore
- Phone
- 07714 406 280
Professional mentoring
LFC Foundation Mentor Works
Professional mentoring for 16-25 year olds across the Liverpool City Region who are not in full-time education or work.
- 16-25
- Liverpool City Region
- Employment
- Mentoring
About
Mentor Works is the LFC Foundation’s mentoring programme for young people across the Liverpool City Region.
Sessions focus on building confidence, understanding what workplaces actually expect, and developing practical skills for employment.
Who it's for
- Young people aged 16 to 25 across the Liverpool City Region
- Not currently in full-time education or employment
- Looking to build confidence, workplace skills and practical direction
What to expect
- Matched with a mentor from a range of professional backgrounds
- A structured programme of sessions over several weeks
- Optional in-person meet-ups alongside the scheduled contact
My involvement
I volunteer here as a professional mentor. It is the part of my week that has nothing to do with therapy and everything to do with a young person working out what comes next.
Contact
Host venue and practical support
The Salvation Army Southport
A church and community hub in the centre of Southport offering practical and pastoral support to anyone who walks in.
- All ages
- Southport
- Practical support
- No referral
About
Southport Salvation Army is a church at the heart of Southport for people of all ages and backgrounds, committed to helping people make sense of life and faith and to making a practical difference locally.
The support on offer is built around a hand up rather than a handout, and much of it is available without a referral.
What to expect
- Practical assistance - clothing, furniture and emergency fuel grants
- Little Miracles baby and toddler bank, for families in financial hardship
- Compassion Acts food support, Thursdays 3.30pm-5.30pm
- A café and charity shop that work as a place to land and talk to someone
My involvement
The Salvation Army gives me a room every Monday so the free counselling can happen at all. Without a venue that people already trust and already walk into, there is no service.
Contact
Registered Charity No. 214779
65 Shakespeare StreetSouthport PR8 5AJ- Phone
- 01704 547805
Mettle’s own initiative
Project Sandgrounder
A grassroots initiative offering free wellbeing support and skills-building to adults across PR8 and PR9.
- Adults
- PR8 & PR9
- Free
- No waiting list
About
Project Sandgrounder runs on goodwill, donated time, and the belief that local adults deserve access to resources that build real skills, friendships, wellbeing and a sense of being included.
It is delivered in partnership with local organisations.
Who it's for
- Adults across PR8 and PR9
- Free, with no referral needed
- No waiting list
What to expect
- Free counselling - weekly, by appointment, at The Salvation Army in Southport
- Dads groups, building bonds between fathers and their children, with Identity Dads CIC
- Practical skills workshops run by local tradespeople
- Walking and running groups
My involvement
This one is mine. I started it because the gap between "needs support" and "can afford support" was the thing I kept running into, and no amount of private practice closes it.
Contact
Social prescribing
Brighter Living Partnership
A health and wellbeing charity connecting people across Southport and Formby to practical, social and financial support.
- Adults
- Southport & Formby
- Social prescribing
- Wellbeing
About
Brighter Living Partnership is a health and wellbeing charity working across Southport and Formby to help people live healthier, better-connected lives.
It hosts the Social Prescribing Link Worker Service for the Southport and Formby Primary Care Network, helping people identify what they actually want to change and then linking them to the organisations, groups and activities that can help. The service is free.
What to expect
- Social prescribing link workers for the Southport & Formby PCN
- Support with exercise, cooking and eating better, and stopping smoking
- Help with debt and benefits
- A weekly gardening group, IT courses and chair-based exercise classes
- Brighter Mondays, a social club for people aged 50+ at risk of isolation
My involvement
Where I signpost clients whose difficulty is not really a therapeutic one - debt, isolation, housing, health. Talking therapy cannot fix any of those, and pretending otherwise wastes a person’s time.
Contact
Registered Charity No. 1101722
Southport Community CentreNorwood RoadSouthport- Phone
- 01704 517 810
- Self-refer
- Online self-referral form
Identity Dads
Peer support for fathers
Identity Dads CIC
A peer community for fathers who want to show up for their kids and for themselves.
- Fathers
- PR8 & PR9
- Peer support
- Dads groups
About
Identity Dads CIC runs as a peer group - fathers meeting with fathers, without a clinical agenda and without the pressure to perform.
It is a Community Interest Company, so any surplus goes back into the community work. There are two groups: Birkdale in PR8, running since 2019, and Kew in PR9 from 2026.
Both are built to be accessible to men as they develop healthier bonds and attachment to their young children, and form new friendships with likeminded men nearby.
Who it's for
Fathers - new, expectant, or long established - who want connection with other dads and a space to be honest about what it is really like.
My involvement
The collaborator on the Project Sandgrounder dads groups. Some men will never book a counselling session but will turn up for their kids, and that is a door worth keeping open.