Celebrating Val Hogan of Verve Community CIC and Leigh’s Tearoom & Community Hub
Val Hogan is the founder of Verve Community CIC and Leigh’s Tearoom & Community Hub, organisations built on kindness, community, and a determination to reduce vulnerability.
Her career began in the Television and Broadcast industry, working with major manufacturers such as Sony and Panasonic during the transition from analogue to digital systems. This experience sparked her passion for digital technology and the importance of data sovereignty, ensuring that individuals’ stories and information remain protected.
Later, Val moved into foster care recruitment, working with a large Independent Fostering Group. She quickly recognised the challenges Local Authorities faced due to high agency fees, which strained essential support networks for families. Determined to find a better way, she shifted her focus to the not-for-profit sector, combining foster care recruitment with digital innovation to safeguard children and their information. In 2018, she made the bold decision to cash in her pension to pursue this vision, creating Verve Community CIC.
Val’s relationship with Flourish Together CIC began when a colleague introduced her to co-founder Nickala Torkington. After their first conversation, Val attended a Flourish meeting in Manchester, where she connected with a range of inspiring women and also joined our Resilient Leaders programme.
Flourish Together provided Val with networking opportunities, also offering solidarity, confidence, and practical support. “We were all at the beginning of our journeys, and Flourish Together gave us the confidence to connect with each other.” Val shared.
Through Flourish Together’s events and mentoring, Val discovered that others shared similar challenges and had solutions she could learn from. This collaborative environment gave her the encouragement to keep building her vision.
Over time, Val has become an active contributor to Flourish Together CIC. She has mentored other women, hosted events including a Soup community pitching event and partnered on projects, sharing her skills and expanding Flourish Together’s reach into her own community. Flourish Together has helped amplify her voice, strengthen her organisation, and connect her with a wider network of changemakers.
Val’s work today centres around Leigh’s Tearoom & Community Hub, a welcoming 1920s-themed space on Bradshawgate in Leigh. The tearoom is a place where people gather to share skills, enjoy homemade food, and connect through music and conversation.
The tearoom also operates as a Community Fridge, distributing donated organic produce to care leavers, veterans, and homeless residents. Elderly visitors, particularly women who may feel isolated, find comfort in the tearoom’s warm atmosphere. Many contribute to Val’s Knitting for Babies campaign, which has generated thousands of knitted clothes, blankets, and toys for children in hospitals, foster care, and struggling families.
Val’s day-to-day work includes cooking, teaching young people to prepare meals, and equipping them with skills to become changemakers themselves. The young women she employs have grown in confidence, learning to cook with donated produce and host community events. As one team member, Sarah, reflected:
“When I started working with you, Val, I was shy and unsure of how to do anything. Now, I’m at the front of house, crafting a mean quiche and so much more. I know I could take care of myself if needed, and, most importantly, I’ve loved every moment of it.”
Through catering at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club, Val generates income to sustain the tearoom, while also hosting events such as Burns Night suppers and luncheons for older residents.
Val’s mission is to bring foster care recruitment to the high street, encouraging communities to take an active role in supporting children and care leavers. She works closely with homeless residents in Leigh, listening to their stories and highlighting the gaps in support that many face after leaving care.
Her partnerships with organisations such as Charms Technology, CDD Services, and Leigh Means Business CIC, alongside local leaders, are helping to build digital systems that protect data sovereignty and amplify the voices of those most in need.
Leigh’s Tearoom has become a hub of kindness, resilience, and hope. It is a place where conversations about foster care and community support happen naturally, where young people step forward as leaders of the future, and where everyone’s voice is valued.
Flourish Together CIC is proud to recognise Val Hogan as our Changemaker of the Month for December.
Her dedication to protecting children, empowering women, and building a stronger, kinder community is an inspiration to us all.
Follow Val’s socials fore more details and check out https://ververecruitment.org/.
