Looking Back: Step Up for Smart Works 2025

This March, our gunnercooke foundation and gunnercooke trust team took part in the Step Up for Smart Works challenge - a month-long movement challenge where participants aimed to walk 10,000 steps a day, or find their own way to keep active, all while raising money for a fantastic cause.

Some of us hiked up hills, others cycled long routes, and plenty of us clocked up the steps day after day. However, we chose to do it, the goal was the same: to support Smart Works Greater Manchester, a brilliant charity that helps unemployed women transform their lives.

Smart Works provides interview clothing, one-to-one coaching, and confidence-building support to women looking for work. The impact is huge: 69% of clients secure a job within a month of their appointment, and 94% leave feeling more confident about their future. As the Manchester Evening News put it, “In 2023 alone, the charity supported over 700 women across the region, and 69% of those who accessed the service went on to get the job within a month of their appointment.”

For us, the challenge was a reminder of the power of community. Every step, every ride, every hike helped raise vital funds for a service that makes a very real difference to women across the country.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part, donated, or cheered us on.