A new Stockport-based Community Interest Company is launching with one clear aim: to help women feel more confident, supported and hopeful about their futures.
Feel Good Futures CIC has been set up by Paul Cosgrove and Emma Hurt to build on nearly a decade of education and community work already taking place through Feel Good Futures Training. While the CIC itself is new, the work behind it is not.
“We’ve been supporting women through education for years,” says co-founder Paul Cosgrove, who has worked in education for over two decades.
“What we kept seeing, again and again, was that qualifications alone aren’t always enough. Women need support with their confidence & wellbeing, and people around them who genuinely care about their progress.”
Based in Stockport and supporting women across Greater Manchester, Feel Good Futures CIC will offer a mix of skills training, pastoral, and career support, such as mental health triage and pastoral care, employment coaching and outfit provision, yoga, meditation and breathwork classes, job centre/housing referrals and guest speakers, to name just a few. Essentially everything we do already- just on a larger scale.
The aim is to create a space where women feel safe, accepted and supported- whether they’re returning to education, changing careers, or simply trying to rebuild confidence after a difficult period in their lives.
Co-founder and Finance Director Emma Hurt explains:
“This CIC exists because we’ve seen how life-changing the right environment can be. When women feel listened to and supported as whole people - not just learners - everything changes. Confidence grows, mental health improves, and suddenly a future that once felt out of reach becomes possible.”
That impact is already visible through the experiences of learners who have come through Feel Good Futures Training. One former student described arriving anxious, overwhelmed and fearful of education after years of struggling with work and mental health... and leaving with qualifications, confidence, lasting friendships and a job she loves.
“That’s why we’re doing this,” Emma adds. “No one should feel written off because of their past, their anxiety, or their circumstances.”
The CIC will continue to work closely with the community, supported by a small, dedicated team including Abby Thomson and Paige Riley, who are deeply involved in day-to-day learner support and delivery. They both have lived experience of returning to education themselves, which shapes the trauma-aware, welcoming approach at the heart of the organisation.
Feel Good Futures CIC is now looking to:
- Reach local women who could benefit from skills, wellbeing and community support.
- Build partnerships with organisations across Greater Manchester.
- Secure funding to expand provision and ensure services remain accessible to those who need them most.
- Work with local and regional press to help share women’s stories and raise awareness of available support.
Fundamentally, the CIC is about creating futures that genuinely feel good. Not perfect lives-just real ones, with support, opportunity and dignity.
Women interested in getting involved, as well as funders or partners who want to support the work, are encouraged to visit http://www.feelgoodfuturescic.com to find out more.