As we approach the 10^th anniversary of Phoenix Health and Wellbeing, we thought it would be good to reflect upon what our organisation has achieved.  Phoenix Health and Wellbeing is a registered charity – that means that we are governed by the Charity Commission and abide by their rules.  We refer to ourselves as a Charitable Social Enterprise because the majority of our income comes from trading but what does this mean?

Social Enterprise

Social enterprise is an evolving concept in the business world.  The idea challenges the traditional profit-driven approach. In terms of Phoenix Health and Wellbeing it means that we generate the income that we need to run our organisation and offer support to our referred clients by trading.

The Phoenix Model 

Trading is a broad term. For our organisation it means that we ‘sell’ our counselling, massage and acupuncture services to employers and the general public. They pay the market rate. We then use the proceeds, after we have paid for rent, staff, electricity etc to offer our wonderful therapy and counselling sessions to people who have chronic health issues and low incomes. These people wouldn’t be able to access these services on the open market due to low income, but we know that they will benefit from the therapies that we offer.

In the case of Phoenix Health and Wellbeing, social enterprise is redistributing the profit made from therapies. Those who can afford the sessions can come along and have treatments or counselling safe in the knowledge that by doing so they are helping someone who has chronic health issues and a low income.

Our results speak for themselves.

Since we opened our doors in 2013, we have seen demand for our support increase drastically.  Each year we handle a greater number of referrals and today’s society, with lingering COVID concerns and the cost of living crisis, has certainly seen an increase in the number of people struggling with mental health issues. 

We now support roughly 500 people a year with this current year promising to be busier than ever.  The chart below shows the steady increase in clients.  This is matched by a steady increase in the number of members of the public and employers who use our services. 

In total, over the last 10 years we have delivered 40,110 appointments in our wellbeing centre on Park Place in Leeds and supported staff at numerous local employers with workplace massage, counselling and stress management talks.  All of the proceeds of these activities go into our charity pot.

Our service increases quality of life and saves lives

Those of us who work at Phoenix Health and Wellbeing know that our service is effective.  We see the results.  We also collect statistical feedback from clients that measures the positive impact that our services have.  Nothing brings a service to life like genuine client feedback though so here is a testimonial from a young client who attended for massage and was supported by one of our brilliant massage therapists, Heather.

This is reproduced with the client’s permission

“I want to make you aware that I suffer really badly with depression and severe anxiety which makes it difficult to meet and trust people and communicate with anyone. I have trouble with my nerves and I sweat a lot and feel uncomfortable around people. The first time I attended (Phoenix) was no different, I almost had a panic attack, sweating like never before and the most nervous I have even been . You could imagine just how I felt even before the massage having to get undressed and letting a woman touch me, however Heather sat me down and made me feel so comfortable, talked me through it and made me feel at ease. When I got ready, she came back in and made sure I was okay. Heather started to massage me and I don’t know how she did it but she put me at ease almost instantly to which I was surprised at. She continued with the massage which felt so amazing. After the massage she gave me some advice and the next couple of days I felt slightly better than it usually would. At the next massage, yes I was still nervous and quite anxious waiting but not like I was the first time. I spoke to Heather and asked if it was okay to try change from a relaxation massage which felt out of this world to try a deep tissue massage as I was curious to try it and she was kind enough to accept. The massage felt so amazing and felt like she had really helped. I was already less tense and my body felt good. It was raining by time my massage finished but I walked all the way home in the rain without a care in the world which has been a massive restriction for me over the last 5 years. I’d usually avoid going out normally to a point of trying to find excuses not to go out such as like it’s too hot or too cold or it’s raining to avoid going out but the massage I had made me feel incredible so I decided I can walk 5 miles home in the rain and I enjoyed it.

The last massage I had, I had a mixture of both deep tissue first then relation after and that was incredible, it made me feel great. The effects of this massage felt more incredible than I have felt in practically all my life and I found it extremely effective. When I say this I’m not saying this lightly and I’m not over exaggerating either. I have tried talking therapy and medication and breathing techniques, meditation, exercise, practically everything I can think of to make myself feel better, for me to sleep better, to try to stop feeling depressed and to stop me feeling anxious but nothing has worked, but I really feel like what Heather is doing is really helping and working. On average I get 9 hours sleep a week which has been like this all my life but every Monday night after the massage I find myself getting approx. 7-8 hours that night when I usually have no more than 2 hours when I haven’t slept for days. What Heather does works. It honestly is life changing. It makes me so less anxious, makes me feel amazing, gives me motivation and confidence to a point I’m doing things that I never thought I’d be able to do again and it’s honestly making me feel like a new person. Heather really does have a God given talent. She is so gifted.  What she does has a massive positive outcome on me, my life and how I see and feel things.

I want to really thank her (Heather) for changing my life and continuing to do so with her brilliant talent and gift. I can sleep better. I’ve never felt this optimistic and positive or confident and truly feel more relaxed and uplifted. Heather is literally a life changer and a life saver” Danny – Massage client.

Social Enterprise – Our Philosophy

For Phoenix Health and Wellbeing, social enterprise is more than a business model it is a philosophy.  We try to make sure that we reflect this social ethos in all of our operations. We choose local suppliers, prioritising other social enterprises where possible and we are mindful of the environment and sustainability in general. 

Queen’s Award for Enterprise

Our work was recognised in 2021 by HRH The Queen when we received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise and Sustainability.  The Queen and judging panel were impressed with our business model, ethos and approach to delivering sustainable health care.  This fantastic award was delivered to us by the Lord Lieutenant for West Yorkshire following a meeting with HRH The Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle.

The Future – Empowering Communities

The next step for Phoenix Health and Wellbeing is to take our innovative brand of support out into the communities of Leeds.  We are hoping to gain funding in 2024 to trial community based clinics in 3 of the most deprived areas of our city. These clinics would offer Phoenix support at a local level meaning that people struggling with physical or mental health issues could receive support close to their homes rather than having to travel into the city centre. We are confident that such clinics would have a huge benefit for the local community and the local NHS/ statutory support services as well as they may also result in fewer GP visits.

A bright future

As we move forwards into our next decade, we’re looking forward to supporting more people who live with chronic health problems in both our city centre hub and community bases.

We are completely committed to our social enterprise business model.  The benefits are far reaching and transformative. Our model has demonstrated that enterprise can be a force for good, addressing pressing issues while generating sustainable profits.  Our city faces increasingly complex challenges and the role of social enterprises in driving positive change has to be embraced.

We’d love to keep you update with our progress over the coming years. You can sign up to our newsletter by emailing gill@phoenixhealthandwellbeing.org.uk. Or, if you would like to support us going forwards why not sign up to our regular donation programme – you can do it via this link. https://www.justgiving.com/phoenixhealth-and-wellbeing

Phoenix Health & Wellbeing is a Charity and social enterprise based in West Yorkshire.  By using our services, (counselling, acupuncture or massage) you are helping us to continue with our charitable work. We use the proceeds of these sessions to subsidise treatments for people who have chronic health issues and low incomes. Roughly £4 of every £10 spent with us will go to help others. Find out more about our charitable work here

Health insurance and treatments at Phoenix

If you have private health insurance, you may be able to claim for some or all of the cost of your counselling, acupuncture or massage therapy. Check your policy.

Opening times:

Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 20:00

Friday and Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00