Shazia Noor, from Middlesbrough, set up Nur Fitness as a gym and studio, but over the years it’s evolved into something more. Shazia tells us how it’s helped empower hundreds of women and now, through our New Start employability scheme, is going to empower even more.
“The reason I set up Nur Fitness was for people like my mother who had suffered with mental health issues. In Asian communities sometimes mental health isn’t spoken about or recognised as an illness. I wanted to create a safe space for women from all communities to come to work out and improve their mental health.
"We teach self-compassion and self-help – we help women recognise themselves. Women can feel guilty for taking time out for themselves, they feel selfish. But we teach them that by taking time out for themselves it can help them to support their families as well.
"We’ve been able to support and empower hundreds of women over the years, and now many of them have become role models for the community. I saw the New Start scheme as a great way to continue doing this. I see so many women come through our doors who would be great to work here, but I just needed to find a way to fund their training. When New Start came along, I thought ‘this is perfect.’
"Many women in the community want to work but they haven’t had the opportunity. New Start helps by working around their lives, giving them work experience and the chance to get training and support at the same time.
"We’ve taken on five new starters of various ages and backgrounds, and it makes me so proud to see how much their confidence is growing. When you see them at the start, they feel unhappy. They don’t have financial independence and they don’t feel of value. But now they feel important. There’s a desire to learn and take everything in. They’re realising their dreams and I just know they are all going to have successful careers.”
New Start is an employability programme that can help unlock your potential, addressing your barriers to employment and supporting you to find the new start you’ve been looking for.
We’re recruiting now, for more information and for live vacancy information please visit www.new-start.co.uk
Shazia Noor, from Middlesbrough, set up Nur Fitness as a gym and studio, but over the years it’s evolved into something more. Shazia tells us how it’s helped empower hundreds of women and now, through our New Start employability scheme, is going to empower even more.
“The reason I set up Nur Fitness was for people like my mother who had suffered with mental health issues. In Asian communities sometimes mental health isn’t spoken about or recognised as an illness. I wanted to create a safe space for women from all communities to come to work out and improve their mental health.
"We teach self-compassion and self-help – we help women recognise themselves. Women can feel guilty for taking time out for themselves, they feel selfish. But we teach them that by taking time out for themselves it can help them to support their families as well.
"We’ve been able to support and empower hundreds of women over the years, and now many of them have become role models for the community. I saw the New Start scheme as a great way to continue doing this. I see so many women come through our doors who would be great to work here, but I just needed to find a way to fund their training. When New Start came along, I thought ‘this is perfect.’
"Many women in the community want to work but they haven’t had the opportunity. New Start helps by working around their lives, giving them work experience and the chance to get training and support at the same time.
"We’ve taken on five new starters of various ages and backgrounds, and it makes me so proud to see how much their confidence is growing. When you see them at the start, they feel unhappy. They don’t have financial independence and they don’t feel of value. But now they feel important. There’s a desire to learn and take everything in. They’re realising their dreams and I just know they are all going to have successful careers.”
New Start is an employability programme that can help unlock your potential, addressing your barriers to employment and supporting you to find the new start you’ve been looking for.
We’re recruiting now, for more information and for live vacancy information please visit www.new-start.co.uk
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