Gloria was part of our North Manchester Time to Grow programme and progressed onto our ELLII programme in 2022. Gloria had already trained in a range of Holistic Therapies but wasn’t sure how best to use these in creating work for herself and others. Local to Clayton, she joined the Careers in Holistic Health programme we ran in partnership with our sister project Pop Up Spa and Retreat and she trained up in L2 and L3 Holistic and Natural Beauty Therapies, plus became a regular therapist at our monthly Pop Up Spas.
How did you first get involved with Pop-up Spa & Retreat?
I heard about Pop-Up Spa from Beth Nunn who I was working with at the time. She recommended Pop-Up Spa to me as I was already trained in massage, and I really wanted to practise it and develop my skills but I didn’t know where to start. So through Beth, I talked to Nickala who told me about joining the Careers in Holistic Health programme at the Resonance Centre – which was perfect as it was within walking distance from my house.
Tell us about your experiences with Pop-up Spa?
The Careers in Holistic Health training programme was great, Fiona is such a good communicator & teacher and because the course was accessible and fitted in with my life, I was able to dedicate the time to do it. I also recommended the course to a friend who was a support worker, and she joined too.
After I’d completed the manicure & pedicure training, I started to take clients at my home. I felt confident after the training to do this on my own which helped me to increase my income in a way that worked for me.
Through Pop-Up Spa, I’ve also had the opportunity to get involved with community events as a paid therapist, so I’ve been able to combine work with giving back to the community – something that is really important to me.
I also got involved in pitching for some funding with the African Caribbean Alliance, which was exciting as it was a totally new experience for me. I learned a lot from doing that and we were successful which led to more events with the ACA, which I’ve really enjoyed.
What’s changed since working with Pop-Up Spa?
Pop-Up Spa has given me so much. I love learning new things and I love my freedom. I never wanted to work in a salon doing the same thing in the same place, I need my freedom and flexibility. I’ve learnt new skills, been able to get paid work, won funding, taken on clients at home and increased my income & been able to go to different places like community events. I love the variety and the opportunity to give back to the community; being able to give people a ‘luxury’ experience that they would not ordinarily be able to afford or have access to has been amazing.
What’s next?
I plan to secure my own funding and now that I’ve met some women I want to work with through Pop-Up Spa, I’d love to find a space where we can deliver holistic therapies for the wider community. I like to work on my work and also with people – I need my freedom and flexibility. Pop-Up Spa has made that a possibility. It’s opened up so many doors & opportunities, enabled me to practise my passion without being tied whilst also giving something back to the community – all of which is good for my own health & wellbeing.
**Don’t miss upcoming Pop Up Spa events at the Flourish Heaton Chapel Hub on July 2, September 10 and October 1**.
Pop Up Spa & Retreat is the a sister project of Flourish Together CIC: a Health and Wellbeing social venture led by women changemakers and incubated by Flourish for over 8 years.
