Communities Fund provided £615 of match funding
Chapter and Brew at HMP Styal
Wilmslow, England, United Kingdom
Your donation unlocks match funding
Boost your impact
Your donation unlocks match funding
Aim
We’re raising funds to help women leaving prison gain skills, secure employment, build financial independence and create brighter futures.
Chapter & Brew.....Where Every Story Deserves a New Chapter
We believe everyone deserves a second chance. Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to believe in you.
Created by Funding Futures, an organisation that has supported over 600 women to rebuild their lives through education, skills and employment, Chapter & Brew is our next exciting chapter.
We're bringing the much-loved former Clink Restaurant at HMP Styal back to life, transforming it into a welcoming coffee shop, bookshop and community space with a very special purpose.
Behind every coffee served and every book sold will be something far more meaningful: paid employment, training, financial education and volunteering opportunities for women leaving prison or women who simply deserve the chance of a brighter future.
For women who have faced significant challenges, finding employment, achieving financial stability and rebuilding their lives can feel like an impossible mountain to climb.
We're creating a place where women can gain skills, rebuild confidence, earn a wage and learn how to manage their money, giving them the tools to take control of their finances and their futures.
This isn't just about giving a beautiful building a new purpose. It's about helping women break down the financial barriers that can prevent them from moving forward.
Because everyone has a past, but everyone deserves a future.
Why We're Crowdfunding
We're raising an initial £50,000 to bring Chapter & Brew to life, with an ambition to reach £100,000 to help us create even more opportunities.
The former Clink Restaurant holds a special place in the hearts of many people across Cheshire. We want to see it filled with life, laughter and community once again, but this time with a mission that reaches far beyond its walls.
For women leaving prison and women in poverty, financial insecurity can be one of the biggest barriers to rebuilding their lives.
Many face the prospect of starting again with little or no savings, limited employment opportunities and the responsibility of managing accommodation, bills and everyday living costs. Some may never have had the opportunity to develop the financial knowledge or confidence needed to manage these responsibilities independently.
Without a stable income, practical financial skills and the right support, moving forward can be incredibly difficult.
We want to change that.
Chapter & Brew will combine meaningful employment with practical financial education, helping women not only earn money but understand how to manage it.
Through paid work, training and personalised support, women will have opportunities to develop the skills and confidence to budget, manage bills, understand their earnings and benefits, and plan for a financially secure future.
Our aim is to help women move away from financial insecurity and towards independence, giving them greater control over their lives and reducing the risk of financial hardship.
Your donation will help us turn a place filled with memories into a place filled with possibilities.
And every person who walks through our doors will become part of that story.
How We'll Support Women's Financial Wellbeing
Earning a wage is an important first step. Knowing how to manage that money, plan ahead and build financial security is what can make the difference last.
Chapter & Brew will provide women with opportunities to develop workplace skills alongside practical financial education and support tailored to their individual circumstances.
Our planned support will include:
- Budgeting and money management: Helping women understand their income and outgoings, create realistic budgets, prioritise essential spending and make informed financial decisions.
- Understanding payslips and earnings: Explaining wages, tax, National Insurance, pension contributions and deductions so women understand exactly what they earn and take home.
- Managing bills and household costs: Supporting women to understand regular financial commitments, manage payment dates, prioritise essential bills and avoid falling into arrears.
- Benefits and employment: Helping women understand how moving into paid employment may affect their benefits, where to access accurate advice and how to plan for changes in income.
- Saving and financial planning: Encouraging women to set achievable financial goals, plan for unexpected expenses and develop positive money management habits.
- Employment and career development: Providing practical workplace experience, transferable skills, references and support to progress towards sustainable employment and a reliable income.
We recognise that every woman's circumstances will be different. Some may be managing their own finances for the first time, while others may be rebuilding after periods of homelessness, debt, unemployment or significant personal challenges.
Our approach will be supportive, practical and free from judgement, helping women develop financial confidence at their own pace.
Where specialist support is needed, such as debt advice or complex benefits guidance, we will aim to connect women with appropriate qualified services.
We don't just want women to receive their first payslip. We want them to feel confident about what to do with it, and empowered to make decisions about their financial future.
The Difference We Want to Make
The impact of Chapter & Brew will reach far beyond the workplace.
Our goal is to help women leaving prison develop the skills, knowledge and financial confidence needed to create more stable, independent lives.
Through the project, we hope to see women:
- Increase their financial confidence, feeling more capable of managing money and making informed decisions.
- Improve their budgeting skills, with a clearer understanding of income, essential expenditure and financial priorities.
- Gain greater financial security through paid employment and opportunities to progress into longer-term work.
- Better understand their financial responsibilities, including bills, payslips, benefits and everyday living costs.
- Develop positive financial habits, including setting financial goals, planning ahead and managing unexpected expenses.
- Reduce their risk of financial hardship, through increased financial knowledge, access to support and more sustainable income opportunities.
- Build confidence and independence, giving them greater control over their future.
We intend to measure our impact through participant feedback, assessments of financial confidence and knowledge before and after support, and tracking progress into paid employment and further opportunities.
By combining employment with financial education, we want to create lasting change rather than short-term solutions.
Because financial independence isn't simply about having money. It's about having the knowledge, confidence and opportunities to take control of your own future.
How We'll Spend the Money Raised
Our initial £50,000 target will help us create the foundations for Chapter & Brew, transforming the building into a welcoming, fully equipped social enterprise.
Your donations will support:
- Furniture and furnishings: Creating a warm, comfortable space where people can relax, connect and feel welcome.
- Coffee shop equipment: Purchasing essential catering equipment, refrigeration and everything needed to serve our customers.
- Bookshop and community spaces: Creating inviting spaces for reading, learning, conversation and community events.
- Training and employment: Supporting practical skills development, workplace experience and paid opportunities for women.
- Financial wellbeing education and support: Developing and delivering practical sessions covering budgeting, money management, payslips, bills, benefits awareness and financial planning, helping women develop the skills to manage their income confidently.
Every investment will help us create an environment where women can gain employment skills while developing the financial knowledge needed to make the most of their earnings.
Our £100,000 Ambition
If we reach our initial £50,000 target, we'll aim even higher.
An additional £50,000 would help us expand the number of women we can support, create further paid employment opportunities, strengthen our financial education and employment programmes, and invest in the long-term sustainability of Chapter & Brew.
Our ambition isn't simply to open a coffee shop. It's to build a thriving social enterprise that continues helping women achieve financial independence for years to come.
Every coffee purchased, every book enjoyed and every visit will help support that mission.
How You Can Help
You don't need to change the world to change someone's world.
There are three simple ways you can help make Chapter & Brew a reality.
1. Make a donation
Whether it's £5, £50, £500 or £5,000, every contribution matters. Your generosity will help us create a space where women can develop skills, earn a wage, build financial confidence and begin a new chapter.
2. Spread the word
Share our campaign with friends, family, colleagues and local businesses. One conversation, one introduction or one social media share could make an incredible difference.
3. Give your time, skills or resources
We'd love to hear from individuals and businesses who could help through volunteering, professional expertise or donations of books, furniture, equipment and other essentials.
We would particularly welcome support from organisations and professionals with experience in financial education, employment support and money management.
If you think you could support us, please get in touch through the Contact section of our Crowdfunder page.
Help Us Write the Next Chapter
Imagine walking into Chapter & Brew for your morning coffee, picking up a book or meeting a friend, knowing that simply being there is helping someone rebuild their life.
Imagine a woman receiving her first payslip, understanding exactly what she's earned and feeling confident enough to budget for her bills, put a little money aside and start planning for her future.
Imagine the pride of paying her own way, the security of knowing she can manage her financial responsibilities and the freedom that comes from no longer feeling powerless over money.
For some women, these may seem like small steps.
For others, they could change everything.
That's what we're working towards. And we'd love you to be part of it.
Together, we can bring a much-loved Cheshire landmark back to life and create something that our whole community can be proud of.
Help us turn the page and make the next chapter possible.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 8th December 2026 at 11:41am