New NQ coffee bar with a focus on mental health and wellbeing to open this summer

A brand new mental health and wellbeing focused coffee house and bar will open this summer in Manchester’s Hilton House.

With space for events, pop-up galleries featuring local artists, and break out spaces for the local community to connect, owners say the Feel Good Club coffee house will be the first mental health and wellbeing led hospitality venue in the city.

Wives Aimie and Kiera started the Feel Good Club initiative just over a year ago, and have grown a huge online community using social media. They’ve also hosted several virtual events including music quizzes and mindfulness sessions to help the community during lockdown.

The couple’s first physical venue, Feel Good Club will open this summer in the recently restored Hilton House, with a vegetarian food offering using local suppliers and monthly food and drink pop-ups.

The dog-friendly space is designed to be multifunctional, with regular events including yoga, wellbeing talks and cinema nights as well as a series of workshops.

All staff will be mental health first aid trained, with the practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues, and the knowledge to offer support. 

To help tackle loneliness, which is a huge problem in the UK, Aimie and Kiera have created events and spaces to encourage customers to connect. These will include 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 stranger. 

And 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.

 “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,” says Kiera.

“The first ever Feel Good Club encompasses music, events, and community, and is a club where you can be yourself, alone or with company.”

Aimie says it was clear when they started Feel Good Club online that there was a huge demand for people to connect, and  that the 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,” she says.

“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. ”