Thrive Manchester is a charity based in Wythenshawe, South Manchester. Our work began in 2011 (initially as 'Fit-tastic', but we became a charity and changed our name to Thrive Manchester in 2019). We noticed some of our community were struggling with aspects of life that contribute to health. The 2019 Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) ranks Manchester 6 out of 326 local authorities in England (where 1 is the most deprived). Wythenshawe has some of the most deprived wards in Manchester and faces many of the challenges that come with high levels of deprivation, but we don't accept that poor outcomes are inevitable because of this. We decided to explore supporting people of all ages to be more healthy in ways meaningful to them. Prevention was foundational. Some people saw the improvements they wanted, but not all or to the degree we'd hoped. As we explored what we were missing, we learned about the impact of adverse childhood experiences and trauma. Research shows that trauma and early childhood adversity affect more than 50% of the population. Trauma is not what happens to you; it is an individual's body or brain response to events. The science is clear that trauma can impact all areas of a person's life, such as focusing at work or school, having positive relationships, and having good physical and mental health. We realised that to get to the root of wider health issues and for people to see significant and lasting change, we have to work in a trauma responsive way. Our work focuses on raising awareness about the impact of childhood adversity and trauma as well as offering groups and activities that are trauma responsive and support resilience. To significantly support community-wide prevention and healing from trauma requires partnership and collaboration and so it matters to us that we work with members of our community and other organisations in Manchester. 

“Relationships are the agents of change and the most powerful therapy is human love.”

Dr. Bruce Perry