Community pioneer Jackie Grieves is celebrating success in her long battle to establish a new-style support centre in Kersal.
The 60-year-old grandma, who has survived cancer twice, runs the Mental Marathon Wellness Centre (MMWC) on Cromwell Road which offers a range of free holistic medicine treatments alongside a host of other services for residents across the generations.
The centre, which took over the Ci Ci Fleur flower shop seven months ago, is now recognised as a Community Interest Company (CIC) which allows Jackie to apply for a host of grants to help extend the range of support and activities it offers.
Scores of volunteers have come together to help her get the centre off the ground and create disabled access but more funding is needed to cover the monthly £1,000 rent and other costs, including installing a disabled toilet.
Reiki, lymphatic drainage and facials are just some of the treatments available and the centre also provides a community hub, offering free food and a supportive environment.
Jackie’s personal journey, including her studies in natural medicine and her own health issues, drive her commitment to provide both holistic healing and community support.
With a degree in community work (earned at 41) and currently studying natural medicine in her final year at the University of Salford,
Jackie brings both lived experience and formal training to the heart of the Wellness Centre.
“It does help, relaxation. Switching off from the everyday fight or flight,” she says.
Seven months ago, she took over her daughter’s florist and transformed it into a part-café, part-florist, part-wellness centre, all built from donated materials, volunteered time and sheer determination.
“We thought the flowers could be therapy too, like flower arranging. And they help with the rent,” she said.
Sitting inside the warmly decorated community café, surrounded by donated tiles, reclaimed wood and staple-gunned grass, Jackie reflects on how far she and her team have come, but also on how much more there is still to do.
“We begged, borrowed, and stole,” Jackie laughs, showing off a DIY kitchen assembled with donated tiles, old worktops and community goodwill.
“Howdens donated the kitchen appliances, Wickes donated the tiles, and the Carpet Place donated the carpet. Local tradespeople pitched in after hours.
“They grafted, lads after work, just helping, because they believed in it.”
Jackie’s humour is only a glimpse into the determination that is evident in this project.
“This is our little hub, our little relaxation space.”
Despite their growing impact, funding was nearly impossible at first.
“We weren’t getting anywhere with funding. We’re new and no one likes to fund new people. That was the hardest part. Getting the door shut in your face. Especially when we had no money left, and the rent was due. We thought, is it even worth it?”
“But we just kept going.”
Jackie seemed both nervous, yet excited for the funding application to go through in a couple of months.
“Because we’re sort of being recognised for the work that we do, hopefully, this time around, we’ll be getting the funding soon.”
Salford CVS advisor Martin Wilcox helped them secure vital gift funding and photography students Niamh Julia and Edie Nicole are helping with promotion.
Jackie, originally from Glasgow but now living in Salford, emphasised the need to keep the momentum going.
The cafe side of the centre is growing too.
Jackie and the team are running roast dinners every Sunday —another way to bring people together.
“It’s not about making money,” Jackie says. “It’s about giving people a reason to come out the house, to feel part of something.”
Meals are affordably priced at £10 for adults, £5 for children and £8 for pensioners, with the same pay-if-you-can ethos Jackie mentioned earlier.
“If someone’s struggling, we’re not turning them away. We’ve never turned anyone away.”
“People do come in just to sit in the corner and read a book, have a coffee. There’s no need to be at home in isolation. Just come, get involved,” she says.
All treatments are carried out by trained volunteers, many of whom are local and are just as passionate about alternative approaches to health. For Jackie, education, empowerment and relaxation are key to healing.
Her community work started organising walks in Kersal Wetlands and then further afield.
She said: “We’d go down on a Saturday and Sunday to the wetlands, and we’d do walks or exercises, boot camps for mental health, raising money for other charities. They got really popular. ”
When her daughter decided to give up the florist, Jackie saw an opportunity create a physical base for her work.
Jackie’s vision hasn’t just been about offering treatments or running a café. It’s been about rebuilding self-worth and bringing people back from the dark side.
One young lad was on the brink of suicide when he joined one of Jackie’s early community walks. He had been battling deep mental health struggles, isolated and spiralling. Now, he is thriving.
“He was in such a dark place. That was another suicide we could have had on our hands. But he’s so empowered now. He’s always working out, supporting and helping other people. You know, that’s just one lad.”
Jackie couldn’t emphasise enough the importance of education and community support in achieving their goals. There are stories of women fleeing domestic abuse, addicts rediscovering self-worth through involvement in the cafe, or simply being welcomed without judgment.
Even children have felt the positive effects.
Her nine-year-old granddaughter completed a half-marathon to raise funds in memory of her late father:
“It was well emotional. She ran with her feet bleeding, crying at the end, and we all held her up. It was for her dad. She never even met him,” Jackie says.
“It’s hard. Especially when the government’s always talking about mental health, but where’s the support? Where’s the money? Because we’re here. We’re doing it.
“Communities are struggling because we’re told no before we’ve even started. And we’re the ones that know what people really need.”
“These young people, they’ve been oppressed. Give them a qualification, a skill and you give them confidence. That’s healing too.”
The Wellness Centre isn’t just a refuge for the elderly, the isolated, or the terminally ill. Jackie wants it to be for anyone. From photography projects to beauty qualifications, her vision includes creating opportunities for self-worth and real-world applicable skills by offering a space to learn, grow and give back.
For Jackie, her personal marathon has never been about recognition, but about refusing to give up on her community.
“You’ve just got to keep knocking. Keep going. Because eventually, they listen.”
- For more, visit the Instagram page here
- To support Jackie and the team at MMWC by donating use the link here
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