Manchester mental health cafe Feel Good Club is the latest independent to sadly announce it’ll be closing its doors for good.
You may know the Feel Good Club from the success of its wellbeing-focused cafe which opened in the heart of the Northern Quarter in October 2020, where it has since been brewing up quality coffee, serving all-day brunch full of all your favourite comfort foods, and hosting regular events to bring the Manchester community together.
The Feel Good Club movement actually started humblyas an Instagram page filled with uplifting messages and top tips, however, by founders Kiera and Aimie Lawlor-Skillen.
The carefully-curated social media page aimed at normalising the stigma around mental health and has since flourished into a successful platform of 530,000+ followers, and has led the pair to being able to release their own book, clothing lines, start a podcast, and so much more.
But the upcoming closure of its Northern Quarter cafe next month is one that will hit Manchester hard, amid a growing number of independent businesses struggling to stay afloat.
ADVERTISEMENT
Feel Good Club has announced the closure of its Manchester cafe / Credit: The Manc Group
Taking to Instagram yesterday to announce the closure, Feel Good Club wrote: “We’re absolutely gutted to have to deliver this message but, just weeks before our fifth birthday, our venue in Northern Quarter will be closing on the 23 September.
“We’ve spent the past 12+ months seeing some of our favourite venues in the city closing around us, and whilst we’ve been trying to do everything in our power not to, it’s felt like an inevitability that we’ve been unable to escape, and we’ll sadly be joining the list of some incredible places that have been lost to the current hospitality crisis.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Holding on any longer would mean risking letting down our team and suppliers, and they come first here.
The Northern Quarter cafe opened its doors in October 2020 / Credit: The Manc Group
“We’ve poured every part of ourselves, our lives. and energy into the physical venue of Feel Good Club.
“We’ve loved, we’ve lost, and we’ve had some of the best moments of our lives in that space, joined by friends, family, and the chosen family we have met along the way. From the cabarets and dancing on tables, to the weddings, the markets, the protests, the music, the memorials, and the real, raw, and important conversations.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We’d like to thank everyone who has brought their visions to life in the club.”
Founders Kiera and Aimie then went on to thank every single visitor who’s ever come through the doors of their cafe, as well as all the staff who have worked there over the years, and ultimately, everyone who has supported them on their journey.
They also made sure to add that ‘this is not the end for Feel Good Club’ and that they are actively looking for pop-up opportunities to keep the community alive.
“We will continue to be exactly what it always has been – a safe corner of the internet for everyone and anyone that needs it,” their statement concluded.
Feel Good Club will close its doors in the Northern Quarter on Tuesday 23 September 2025, so make sure you go and show them some love before then.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
If you or anyone you know is struggling right now, please know that you are never alone and there are many different places you can reach out to for support right here in Greater Manchester.
Suffering in silence never need be the way.
Manchester Mind – An organisation that has supported people in Manchester for over 30 years. Most services are now available over the phone, by email or video call. The number is 0161 769 5732 and the opening hours are Mon to Fri, 10am-2pm.
The GM Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust– The local NHS helpline is open 24/7 which you can call any time, day or night, if you feel your mental health is beginning to suffer: 0800 953 0285.
Andy’s Man Club – A group dedicated to starting conversations about mental health, assuring people that it’s ok to talk. You can contact them by email on: [email protected].
CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably supports people via phone and webchat. You can call 0800 58 58 58 or speak to a support worker online. Open 5pm to midnight.
Samaritans – The Manchester & Salford Samaritans offer emotional support by telephone and email. The phone lines and email support are available 24/7. Call 116 123 or visit the website.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
News
The Stone Roses’ Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield has died aged 63
Daisy Jackson
Tributes are pouring in for Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, after it was announced that the Stone Roses legend has died at the age of 63.
The bassist, who was also part of Primal Scream, was born in Crumpsall and has been one of Manchester’s most beloved musical figures ever since finding fame in the 1980s.
Mani’s brother Greg broke the news this afternoon, writing on Facebook: “IT IS WITH THE HEAVIEST OF HEARTS THAT I HAVE TO ANNOUNCE THE SAD PASSING OF MY BROTHER GARY MANI MOUNFIELD. RIP RKID.”
Mani’s wife Imelda also passed away in late 2023 after a battle with bowel cancer, for which the pair had raised money and awareness since her diagnosis.
That included a huge star-studded fundraising party where Mani and Imelda raised more than £100k for The Christie and local NHS charities.
Mani and Imelda shared twin sons, who were born in 2012.
Tributes are now flooding in for Mani, especially from those who have also been a part of the Manchester music scene.
Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown posted on X: “REST IN PEACE MANi X”
Rowetta shared a photo with Mani and Imelda and wrote: “Back with your Imelda, Mani. Going to miss you so much. All my love to the boys, the family & all those who knew & loved him.”
Tim Burgess of The Charlatans fame said: “I shared this photo a week or so ago on Mani’s birthday. It never failed to bring a smile to my face – and that was exactly the same for the man himself.
“One of the absolute best in every way – such a beautiful friend. Love you Mani x x. Never to be forgotten”
Shaun Ryder wrote: “RIP Mani – my heartfelt condolences to his twin boys and all of his family X”
Reverend and the Makers shared: “My heart is broken. Found out this morning and just felt low as it gets all day.
“Mani was my musical hero and just a lovely genuine human. When my Dad died , he offered me the warmest and best advice. No fuss, privately, straight up and always available to everyone.
“I’m a bit ill myself at the minute and not ashamed to say I shed at tear at the news. See on the next one mate.
“A true legend of the game. RIP”
Echo and the Bunnymen wrote: “I’m absolutely gutted to hear the news about Mani, who I have always loved and always will love, deeply and forever. Like a brother.
“I am in shock to be honest. Please tell me I’m just having a bad, bad dream. My thoughts and feelings and Mani, love to all of his family from me. Mac Bunnyman Xxx”
Featured image: Paul Husband
News
Ticket touting officially banned to protect fans from rip-offs
Daisy Jackson
The government has officially banned ticket touting, making it illegal for tickets to be resold at inflated prices.
The new measures will destroy the operating model of ticket touts, who snap up tickets for theatre, sport and live music, then sell them on the secondary value for far more than their face value.
Oftentimes, touts use automated bots to buy large volumes of tickets at once, taking them away from real fans.
The government says it’s caused misery for millions of fans and damaged the live events industry.
But now, the practice is being banned, with the government making it illegal to sell tickets above face value (plus unavoidable fees like service charges).
Resale platforms will also have their service fees capped, and they’ll have a legal duty to monitor and enforce compliance with the price cap.
Individuals will also be banned from reselling more tickets than they were entitled to buy in the initial ticket sale.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy said: “For too long, ticket touts have ripped off fans, using bots to snap up batches of tickets and resell them at sky-high prices. They’ve become a shadow industry on resale sites, acting without consequence.
“This government is putting fans first. Our new proposals will shut down the touts’ racket and make world-class music, comedy, theatre and sport affordable for everyone.”
Business Secretary Peter Kyle added: “The UK is home to a brilliant range of music, entertainers and sporting stars – but when fans are shut out – it only benefits the touts. That’s why we’re taking these bold measures to smash their model to pieces and make sure more fans can enjoy their favourite stars at a fair price.”
Dan Smith, lead singer of Bastille – who have been part of the campaign against ticket touting – said: “It’s such great news that the government has stepped up and introduced a price cap on resale tickets – something I’ve been campaigning for alongside O2 and the FanFair Alliance for a long time.
“It’s a good step towards protecting music fans from being ripped off and will allow more genuine fans to see their favourite artists perform at face value prices. I am welcoming a world where there are no more resellers snapping up all of the tickets and massively inflating their prices.”
According to analysis by the CMA, typical mark-ups on secondary market tickets exceed 50%, whilst investigations by Trading Standards has uncovered evidence of tickets being resold for up to six times their original cost.
It’s believed these new measures against ticket touts could save fans around £112 million annually, freeing up around 900,000 more tickets from the primary ticket sellers each year.
The use of strategies like dynamic pricing has also been a major source of frustration for fans – such as the method used during the Oasis reunion on-sale – and new rules mean that fans must be given 24 hours notice of tiered pricing, plus provide clearer price information during online queues.
Industry voices who have weight in today include Mumford & Sons, who said that touts have ‘taken advantage of the good will and passion of music fans for many years’; Ed Sheeran’s manager Stuart Camp, who said the announcement is ‘long overdue’; and Coldplay manager Phil Harvey, who added that the legislation will be ‘a game-changer’.
Emily Sergeant -
27th August 2025 
