Wigan skills centre's bid to attract more female members

Ince-based Steps CIC provides activities and qualification opportunities for adults with a variety of special educational needs.

Open five days a week, the centre offers services for adults and young people with disabilities with the aim of providing meaningful skills-based activities and which enable them to improve their lives.

This in turn encourages individuals to improve skills, health and general wellbeing.

Since being accredited by the Open Awards, an Ofqual-approved awarding organisation, the centre also offers users the opportunity to gain qualifications across various subjects. This year there are five available: including preparing food and drink, washing a car, valeting a car and producing a piece of art.

Former Wigan Council employee Terry Mann, who set up the company in 2011, said: “We developed initially around woodwork skills so that people could move into employment. But as more people started to attend we found out they wanted more than what we were providing.

“So now we provides many more opportunities for the

individual, whether that is art, catering or socialising. We aim to give them more of an independent life. We are an

enabling service - we want them to grow to be the best they can.”

For the past eight years, the group has been working with schools to help SEN adults transition to the Steps centre once the services provided for them in their youth are no longer available. Dozens of men are currently on Steps’ books but they are hoping to encourage more women to join up and make use of the services available.

With the opening of a new “relaxation room” and hair salon, the team is hoping to show that they have something for everyone at the centre.

Steps day manager Jackie Kennedy said: “We are going from strength to strength. I absolutely love it here and so do the adults. We’ve now opened our salon, which is great. Some of the younger attendees have really taken to it.

They come in here to chill out, they sit here and have hand and foot massages.

“We are hoping this year will bring more women through the doors.

"We are working with a lot of schools and have had some of the girls in to visit. We have had so much interest with the schools it will just take the first girl to come then they will all start to follow. Initially it was just construction but now we have grown we have so much to offer everyone.”