Flourish supports women to create the change they see needed in communities. To date we have supported over 1000 women changemakers and financially invested in over 100. The most recent Time To Grow programme supported women from all over Greater Manchester to help them with enterprising solutions to social issues and to create sustainable change. Our recent ELLII programme developed Enterprise, Learning, Leadership, Innovation and Influencing skills across the women’s support sector.
Coming Home
How did your first come into contact with Flourish?
It was through twitter initially, Nickala followed me when I was The Barker Baker – she has her finger on pulse of all things social enterprise so we started interacting.
How has Flourish helped you?
It’s given me much more of a sense of self and purpose, built my confidence and professional network. I was involved with Flourish before I went to prison – I had been through a period of rehabilitation in the years preceding and had retrained to be an apprenticeship tutor. I had got my life on track with Flourish in the background, then unexpectedly the criminal justice system – and what I had done in 2015 – caught up with me and I disappeared overnight… perhaps naively, I hadn’t expected to go to jail at all.
Nickala sent me a message on twitter when she read in the paper what had happened to me. I read it many, many months later when I moved to an open prison and was able to access communications. She asked if there was anything Flourish could do to support me or my wife. This was hugely important to me. The ethos of Flourish is authenticity, kindness and genuine care and compassion… The team seeks out women who are of that mind which is why Flourish has become what it is. Flourish seeks out and helps women surround themselves with other women with these qualities, and dedication and purpose. Being part of the Flourish community gives you support – it’s so much more than some workshops here and funding there, it’s a sense of reliability and comfort, security and inspiration.
Where has your journey taken you? Tell us about the highs and lows of your experience
I’ve often thought how different my first business venture would have been had I known about Flourish or engaged with the right people earlier on. Had I had more business acumen and support it would have been very different. If I’d have known how to build a social enterprise the right way, how to have the right structure, how to be more business-minded, how to have the right support, things might have panned out very differently… often when I engage with Flourish I do think about what could have been. But actually, it’s given me the drive to do something now.
I had a passion before which was criminal justice and rehabilitation of women in the community.
When Flourish asked me to be part of the 10GM research project and to source a panel of offenders, victims of domestic violence and drug addiction that was the first light-bulb moment for me that everything I had done up to that point had led me to that piece of work. When I came out of jail the world had carried on and the work I had done before had come to fruition. The first thing I did when I was released from prison early, with my ankle tag on, was to come and speak at a Flourish event about that piece of work. That’s where my engagement with Flourish really stepped up – I was in the right place at the right time, with the right skills and first hand lived experience to bring these things to life.
I’ve met so many empowered women who have great ideas but life, obstacles get in the way, whether it’s childcare, illness, work, prison… but unlike other support offers Flourish checks in and pick you up. That humanity that runs through everything Flourish does keeps people coming back. The Flourish network is so huge because people don’t want to let go!
How do you keep motivated?
My wife and I joke that when I work at 70% I’m quite fierce, when I’m at 100% capacity I’m utterly terrifying…! Maintaining motivation for me is always staying humble. I’ve learnt this in recent months – I often have ‘woe is me’ moments… having been incarcerated there is a latent resentment sometimes because I feel my life stopped and employment opportunities are not what I thought they would be. But by always staying humble, and reminding myself I’m still very privileged and can still take positives from my experience. I’ll get where I need to, it might just take a bit longer. So motivation for me is to just try a little harder every day and do a little better.
Proudest achievement?
You know my proudest achievement is surviving a prison sentence and coming out almost as strong as I went in – even when it’s not been easy.
When I came home I thought I needed to go straight back into a high-paid job and need to get the debt sorted out, but then I reframed what I really need logistically – I don’t need all those things, they don’t bring me joy and actually they provided mental instability on the way. So my proudest achievement is owning the fact that I did something ridiculously stupid – and wrong – and accepting the punishment and penance and having the good sense to move on.
Any tips to share with other people looking to start their own projects?
Skill share, learn from others, understand the pitfalls, the positives, the negatives, research, and just surround yourself with people who will be good for you, and your business.
What elements of working with Flourish have you found particularly useful?
Social media actually! Twitter is a phenomenal force, although not always a positive one… But Flourish brings together beautiful positivity, the ability to link people together in a small tweet, which shows you that in Flourish network everyone is always thinking about each other. That positive power of social media! I love the physical networking events – it pushes my boundaries to come out and meet people. I always have a wonderful time, such positive vibes, everyone is always so inclusive, lovely and accepting. I always leave a Flourish event fired up and ready to drive the next thing forward.
The Flourish network is also a bank of information and support. When people talk to me about ideas or projects there is always someone I can think of who could help. And if I can’t, Nickala can!
Anything you’re now doing differently or has changed for you?
Previously I had lots of nice ideas but I was so terrified to move things forward because of my failure as the Barker Baker. So I didn’t know how to bring my ideas to fruition, and Flourish has helped me do that. I’ve launched a pilot project called Coming Home – working with women who have experience of the criminal justice system – which is going to be a phenomenal step forward for me. It’s everything I care about and something that can make real change. You’d think I would be terrified to go anywhere near a start-up business or social enterprise having spent 10 months in prison, but I know this is the beginning of something. The combination of my lived experience and passion, plus the immense stability, structure and support from Flourish means I know this is going to work!
