Feel Good Club want to help you be the best version of yourself
Mental Health Initiative, Feel Good Club, have announced they are to open the city’s first mental health and wellbeing-led hospitality venue this summer. There will be room for events, pop-up galleries featuring local artists, and break out spaces for the local community to connect as well as a coffee house and bar.
Feel Good Club is a mental health community built by Aimie and Kiera Lawlor-Skillen (pictured above). Since starting the initiative just over a year ago, they have grown a huge online community using their social media platforms. Their aim is to normalise the conversation around mental health, and to help spread happiness, giving their community the tools to become the best version of themselves.
We want to create a space where our guests feel like they are at home. It will be our house, your house and a coffee house
The couple’s first physical venue, Feel Good Club, will open in the recently restored Hilton House, thanks to investment Howard Lord, founder of local property business CERT Property who completed the redevelopment of the property. CERT property specialises in providing solutions for individuals and businesses looking to invest in the UK property market. The company prides itself on taking a proactive and hands-on approach to add value and guide clients through the entire lifecycle of their investment.
The new dog-friendly coffee house, currently in the design phase, will use local suppliers, with a veggie food offering designed to make diners feel good, and monthly food and drink pop-ups - but the focus is all on the space itself.
Feel Good Club will take over a 2800ft space within the iconic Hilton House development in the Northern Quarter, with a clean and airy feel, in calming earthy colours, finished with a few homely touches to encourage guests to get comfortable and use the space as their own.
The space is designed to be multifunctional, with regular events hosted by the team including yoga, wellbeing talks and cinema nights, plus a series of workshops. All staff will be trained in mental health first aid, with the practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues, and the knowledge to offer support.
As loneliness is a huge problem in the UK, Aimie and Kiera have created events and spaces to encourage customers to connect, including a permanent area dedicated to customers who wish to meet new people, and a daily ‘Small Talk’ hour with special offers on food and drink, where guests will be encouraged to take the time out of their day to chat to a total stranger of friend.
Every Friday, the venue will host Freelance Fridays, where self employed people from all sectors are invited to join the team to use the space for free, and to network with other freelancers creating a community and a sense of team for those who don’t have their own.
Kiera said: “Our dream has always been to bring our online community, offline and create a space where people can be themselves and talk about their feelings and mental health openly. The first ever Feel Good Club encompasses music, events, and community, and is a club where you can be yourself, alone or with company.
“When we met with Howard and the team at CERT Property and we realised they shared our vision, our dream started to look like a reality. It is incredible that even at this turbulent time, we have managed to secure investment and are able to make this happen.”
Aimie added: “It was clear to us when we started Feel Good Club online that there was a huge demand for people to connect, and that our community was shouting out for a place they could call their own. We can’t wait to bring it to life for them and the people of Manchester. We want to create a space where our guests feel like they are at home. It will be our house, your house and a coffee house. ”
View this post on InstagramThe start. It’s not about ideas, it’s about making ideas happen
A post shared by Howard Lord (@lord_hbp) on
Howard Lord, Managing Director of CERT Property added: “Our vision for this property has always been to build a community, and to bring like-minded people together. It was obvious from the outset that our values aligned with those of Feel Good Club.
“During the pandemic it became clear how important socialising is for people and it felt like the perfect time to invest in the Feel Good Club. We have already built a beautiful relationship and our aim together now is to build a community, one building at a time.”
Designed by renowned 1960s architect Richard Seifert, brutalist building Hilton House has been a hidden gem at the end of Hilton Street for decades and developer and owner CERT recently completed an extensive refurbishment project to bring the building back to life.
Updates on the new coffee house, including progress on site and further information on an opening date will be shared via Instagram @wearefeelgoodclub and the website.
