Flourish & Succeed celebrates 15 years of transforming lives through community-led wellbeing support

Flourish & Succeed has become one of Merseyside’s fastest-growing wellbeing organisations – and founder Michael Fielding MBE insists its greatest achievement isn’t the number of programmes it delivers but the people who now support one another every day.

More than 15 years after it was launched, Flourish & Succeed has grown into a thriving community supporting hundreds of people across Knowsley through mental health groups, wellbeing activities, walking groups, breakfast hubs, football sessions, family support, holiday programmes and more.

And Michael says what started as a simple desire to help others has become a movement built on kindness, compassion and community.

Micheal said:

“We’ve never tried to become a big organisation. We’ve simply listened to what people needed and responded. Every new group has started because someone asked for help.”

Today, Flourish & Succeed offers support to people of all ages, helping to reduce isolation, improving mental wellbeing and creating lasting friendships.

At the centre of everything is its volunteers.

“The volunteers are the heartbeat of Flourish & Succeed,” adds Michael, 60. “They give up their own time because they genuinely care about people. Many of them first came to us needing support themselves, and now they’re helping others through their difficult times.”

That cycle of people receiving support before going on to give something back is what Michael believes makes the organisation special.

“It’s amazing to watch someone walk through the door with no confidence and months later they’re welcoming new people, making the tea, leading activities and encouraging others. That’s what community is all about.”

The organisation now runs a wide range of activities, including men’s wellbeing groups, women’s support groups, walking groups, breakfast hubs, football programmes, fitness sessions, support for vulnerable families, holiday activities and community events.

But whatever the activity, the aim is always the same—to create places where people feel welcomed, accepted and never alone.

One of the organisation’s guiding principles is the Buffalo Mindset.

Michael explains:

“The buffalo walks into the storm because it knows that’s the quickest way through it,”

“That’s how we encourage people to face life’s challenges. We don’t tell anyone their problems will disappear overnight, but we do promise they won’t have to face them on their own.”

Michael knows those challenges personally.

Over the years he has lost his sister Carol, his dad and, most recently, his mum, in October 2025. All three died from cancer and he has also faced his own battle with melanoma skin cancer.

He said:

“Grief changes you. Losing the people you love is something you never truly get over, but it has reinforced why our work matters so much.

“When someone walks through our doors carrying the weight of grief, anxiety or loneliness, I understand those feelings are real.

“We can’t take away someone’s pain, but we can walk alongside them and make sure they don’t face it alone.”

Many people who once struggled with loneliness, poor mental health or difficult life circumstances now describe Flourish & Succeed as their second family.

“It’s incredible seeing friendships develop,” says Michael. “People who would never have met are now checking in on one another, meeting for coffee, walking together and supporting each other outside our sessions.”

The organisation has also built strong partnerships across Knowsley, ensuring local people can access the right support when they need it.

Michael believes none of this would be possible without the dedication of so many who ensure it thrives.

“I may have started Flourish & Succeed, but it doesn’t belong to me anymore,” says Michael, who still works full time for CGL (Change, Grow, Live) in Knowsley, which helps and supports people in a variety of areas from health and wellbeing, substance abuse, and homelessness while ploughing hours into the organisation which ‘is keeping me safe too’.

“Flourish & Succeed belongs to every volunteer who gives up their time, every member who welcomes someone through the door and every person who reaches out to help someone who’s struggling.”

That sense of shared ownership has helped the organisation continue to grow year after year.

Despite the challenges facing community organisations, Michael says the mission has never changed.

“We don’t judge people. We don’t tell people how to live their lives. We simply walk beside them,” he smiles.

“Sometimes all someone needs is a brew, a friendly face and to know somebody genuinely cares.”

For Michael, success has never been measured by awards or recognition.

“The greatest achievement isn’t receiving an MBE,” he says of the honour he was bestowed in 2010 because of the difference he made to people’s lives through his work helping young people into jobs and apprenticeships.

“It’s seeing people rebuild their confidence, improve their mental health and then become the person helping somebody else.”

Looking ahead, Michael hopes Flourish & Succeed’s greatest legacy will be the community it has created.

“When people talk about Flourish & Succeed years from now, I don’t want them talking about me,” he says.

“I want them talking about the volunteers who gave their time without expecting anything in return, the friendships that were formed, the lives that were changed and the community that came together when people needed it most.”