Fund mental health support people actually turn up to
Music gets people through the door who would never use a wellbeing service. Your funding pays for trained facilitators, equipment, venues, evaluation and free places.
Our mission
Play Northwest CIC uses music to improve mental health, build connection and unlock potential for people across Merseyside who have been failed or left behind by traditional services.
We do this through hands-on DJ, music production, sound healing and field-recording programmes, designed to feel safe, creative and non-clinical, so the people who need support most actually show up and stay.
Why fund Play Northwest
Knowsley, where our current course runs, is the 3rd most deprived local authority in England for health and disability, 2nd for employment and 17th overall. 40% of its neighbourhoods are among the most deprived 10% in the country.
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), local authority summaries.
Across Merseyside, thousands of people — particularly young people with SEND, adults managing mental health challenges, and those who have fallen through the gaps of statutory services — struggle to access creative, community-based wellbeing support. Traditional services are stretched, waiting lists are long, and stigma keeps many away.
We use music — DJing, production, field recording, and sound healing — as a non-clinical route into engagement, connection, and measurable wellbeing improvement. Because it doesn’t look like therapy, people show up. And because it works, they keep coming back.
Our theory of change
1. Music
Hands-on creative sessions remove barriers to engagement.
2. Engagement
Participants build skills, confidence, and peer connection.
3. Wellbeing
Measurable improvement in mood, purpose, and social inclusion.
4. Reduced demand
Less reliance on statutory mental health and crisis services.
Impact at a glance
How we count. 110+ participants supported: Individual people who have taken part in at least one Play Northwest programme or session. We count people, not attendances. 94% reported improved wellbeing: Of the 110 participants who completed both our start and end wellbeing check, the share who reported an improvement. From the September 2026 cohort onwards we use the validated SWEMWBS scale (Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale).
Target: Our aim for the current course: at least 80% of people who finish it show improved wellbeing on SWEMWBS (the Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale).
“I never thought music was something for me. Within a few weeks I’d built my own track and played it back to the group. It sounds small but it changed how I see myself — I’d spent so long being told what I couldn’t do, and here was something I’d actually made.”
— Programme participant
Our funders
The National Lottery Community Fund — £4,700 (2026)
Awarded for Wellbeing and Connection Through Music — free music and wellbeing sessions in Knowsley, made possible with money raised by National Lottery players. Our current 12-week course runs until 14 December 2026. Read the announcement →
What your funding supports
- Programme delivery — trained facilitators, session planning, and wellbeing measurement
- Equipment — DJ decks, mixers, field recorders, singing bowls, production laptops
- Venues & transport — accessible community spaces across Merseyside
- Evaluation — wellbeing scoring, participant feedback, outcome reporting
- Free places — so our courses stay free for anyone to attend
Earned income: our apps
Alongside grants, we earn income from apps, and it goes back into keeping our wellbeing through music courses free:
- Connect & Support UK — a free wellbeing app with an optional Premium subscription. About the app
- Music apps by Nada Kari, a sound practitioner and partner of ours — starting with VOCAB-80, free to download with a one-off unlock. About the music apps
Download our information pack
A short PDF summary covering programmes, outcomes, costs, and case studies.
Download Info Pack (PDF)Due diligence at a glance
Everything an assessor usually asks for first. Anything else, ask johnpaul@playnorthwestcic.com or call 07808 238730.
- Legal name
- Play North West CIC (trading as Play Northwest)
- Structure
- Community Interest Company, limited by guarantee without share capital, with a statutory asset lock
- Company number
- 15796794 · registered in England & Wales · incorporated 23 June 2024
- Registered office
- 9 Old Lane, Eccleston Park, Prescot, L34 2RE
- Accounts
- Filed with Companies House — filing history
- Directors
- John Paul Randles and Andrew Reeves, unconnected — governance and board plan
- Safeguarding
- Lead: John Paul Randles · Deputy: Andrew Reeves · Enhanced DBS for all delivery staff · policy (PDF)
- Current funding
- The National Lottery Community Fund — £4,700 (2026)
- Impact data
- 110+ participants supported · 94% of 110 completers reported improved wellbeing · SWEMWBS from the September 2026 cohort, target 80% improving
- Policies
- Privacy · Complaints · Accessibility · Equality, diversity & inclusion (PDF) · Data protection (PDF) · Information pack (PDF)
Safeguarding & DBS
Play Northwest CIC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people, and adults at risk who take part in our programmes. All staff, volunteers, and freelancers hold an Enhanced DBS check and complete safeguarding training before delivering any session.
Our full safeguarding policy is published below and reviewed annually. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is John Paul Randles(hello@playnorthwestcic.com) and our Deputy DSL is Andrew Reeves (andrew@playnorthwestcic.com).
Safeguarding policy
Full policy covering legal framework, reporting routes (Merseyside MASH numbers), code of conduct, DBS process, and training requirements.
Download Safeguarding Policy (PDF)Equality, Diversity & Inclusion policy
How we remove barriers to taking part, make reasonable adjustments, monitor who we reach, and handle concerns about discrimination.
Download EDI Policy (PDF)Data protection policy
How our team collects, stores, shares and deletes personal data under UK GDPR, including retention periods and breach reporting.
Download Data Protection Policy (PDF)Let’s talk
Tell us what you fund and we’ll show you where your money would go — detailed budgets and outcomes are available on request. Call John Paul on 07808 238730.