As the year draws to a close, we look back with pride at the milestones and achievements of Flourish in 2024. This year has been a transformative journey filled with expansion, impactful initiatives, heartfelt connections, and tangible outcomes that uplift the women we serve and the communities we support.
This year, in addition to opening another Flourish Hub location, we hosted several social enterprise and wellbeing events that underscored the power of community collaboration. We held SOUPs across Salford, Altrincham, Wigan & Manchester in partnership with Manchester Social Economy Alliance (MSEA), The Business Group, The Peoples Powerhouse and Natwest which has given over £2500 to budding social entrepreneurs to further their work. The generosity of our donors and sponsors has been instrumental in expanding our reach and empowering more women to achieve their potential.
In 2024, we brought together inspiring leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from across Manchester. From panel discussions with industry experts at our Time 2 Grow Marketplace to our 11th Anniversary celebrations, these events fostered meaningful connections and provided an opportunity for us to say thank you for the continued support from our network.
Here’s a roundup of what we have accomplished together and the team’s highlight events of the year:
Anna – We Lead for Legacy Graduation ceremony
The We Lead for Legacy graduation day was an emotional & inspiring celebration filled with pride & gratitude (it even inspired a poem!). Accompanied by family & friends, the 2024 cohort reflected on their incredible journeys, the meaningful relationships they’d built, the skills & experiences they’d gained & their visions for the future of civic leadership in Greater Manchester.
One of our standout achievements this year was training and accrediting over 70 women in holistic therapies such as facials, Indian head massage, manicure, and pedicures. These programs not only equipped participants with valuable skills but also paved pathways to sustainable careers. Several graduates have already launched their own careers, while others have joined wellness centers. The ripple effect of this initiative extends far beyond individuals, fostering wellbeing within communities and families.
Judith – The Time 2 Grow Marketplace
Our Time 2 Grow Marketplace at the Resonance Centre was a great opportunity to really connect and exchange knowledge with women changemakers about succeeding in business. I ran a workshop breaking down the fundamentals of funding and bid writing, it was inspiring to see the ladies push themselves out of their comfort zones and building their confidence as social innovators.
Fiona – Bury WEA Careers in Holistic Health
My favourite event to teach this year was ‘Bury WEA Careers in Holistic Health’. They were a fabulous group and were so motivated and committed. Even under some of the hardest barriers they always turned up and gave it their all. I even got made a crochet cactus 🙂I wish them all well in the future and hope I get to teach or work with some of them again.
Imani – Reclaim Your Calm: Pre-Christmas Retreat
For the first time creating and hosting this sort of event, the day couldn’t have gone better, dare I say it was an overwhelming success! From the candid discussions to the sound bath, mindfulness practice and incredible food, the ladies left feeling relaxed and restored – but that could be down to the Indian head or Neck, back & shoulder massages. Nonetheless, I’m proud that we we’ll be making the retreat a quarterly event!
Ayisatu – Client Feedback & Multicultural Christmas Celebrations
A client had missed the deadline for fund they really wanted to go for and I encouraged them to make a connection with the funders any way. My highlight is getting the news that they got funding for not 1 but 2 separate project as result of putting themselves out there and believing in the impact they were having. Stories like this just fill up my heart.
Seeing the Multi-Cultural Christmas come to light with all the happy faces and most especially having a group of over 40 women, aged between 25 – 70 years old from over 15 different nationalities and ethnicities having a day time rave to music spanning Afro-beat to Punjab-Pop led by Shamime Jan of BollyFit was an absolute masterclass in joyful community building.
Nickala – Growing the Team!
Highlights for me have been unlocking new talent growing the staff team, evolving and expanding the Flourish Hubs, supporting over 120 women through our Time to Grow programmes this year and designing and delivering a new Civic Leadership programme in partnership with She Leads for Legacy and Reform Radio commissioned by the GMCA which we’ve been recommissioned to expand in 2025!
Every milestone we’ve reached this year is a testament to the collective efforts of our team, volunteers, supporters, and the incredible women we serve. Together, we are breaking barriers, building opportunities, and transforming lives.
Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to an even brighter and more impactful 2025!
