Building Community Connections Through Music
Wirral Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Centre & Oxton Grange Care Home
Wirral Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Centre provides residential support for people recovering from drug and alcohol dependency. As part of its commitment to recovery, community integration, and reducing stigma, Wirral Residential runs a co-produced choir made up of residents and staff.
Each year during the festive period, the choir visits Oxton Grange Care Home to perform for residents, and staff. This partnership has become an annual tradition, strengthening relationships between the two services and the wider community.
The choir is co-produced, meaning residents are actively involved in choosing songs, rehearsing, and shaping the performances. The visit to Oxton Grange is planned collaboratively, ensuring it is meaningful for both services.
During the festive visit, the choir performs seasonal songs and familiar classics, encouraging audience participation and shared celebration. The event provides an opportunity for positive social interaction between people in recovery and older adults living in residential care.
One of the key outcomes of this initiative is its role in challenging stigma associated with substance use and recovery.
Residents of Wirral Residential are seen not through the lens of addiction, but as talented, committed, and compassionate members of the community
Oxton Grange residents, and staff gain direct, positive experiences of people in recovery
The shared activity promotes understanding, empathy, and breaks down misconceptions around addiction
By creating regular, positive contact, the project helps normalise recovery and reinforces the message that people can and do lead meaningful, contributory lives beyond addiction.
For residents of Wirral Residential, participation in the choir and visits to Oxton Grange have had a significant positive impact:
Increased confidence and self-esteem through performance and positive feedback
A sense of purpose and achievement, particularly during a time of year that can be emotionally challenging
Improved social skills and teamwork through rehearsals and community engagement
Opportunities to reinforce recovery values such as connection, responsibility, and service.
The visits have been warmly received by residents at Oxton Grange, particularly during the festive period:
Music evokes memories, emotions, and encourages engagement, including singing along
The performances help reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation
Residents benefit from intergenerational and community connection
The atmosphere created by the choir brings joy, warmth, and celebration into the home
Staff at Oxton Grange have noted visible improvements in mood and engagement among residents during and after the visits. Oxton Grange has provided consistently positive feedback about the impact of the choir visits. Staff have shared that:
Residents look forward to the visits and often talk about them afterwards
The presence of the choir creates a sense of occasion and excitement
The visits are meaningful, not just entertaining, helping residents feel remembered and connected to the community
The partnership is valued as a genuine, respectful collaboration rather than a one-off activity
Staff have also highlighted how important it is for residents to see recovery in action, describing the visits as uplifting and inspiring.
The annual festive choir visit from Wirral Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Centre to Oxton Grange Care Home is a powerful example of co-produced, community-based recovery work. The initiative delivers clear benefits for both groups of residents while actively reducing stigma and strengthening community ties.
Through music, shared experience, and mutual respect, the partnership demonstrates how recovery services can play a positive, visible role in the community - bringing joy, connection, and understanding to all involved.