Heidi Dawson founded ProActive Therapies just before the first lockdown. Here she talks of how therapies can be an ‘essential non-essential’ – and why her husband is about to cycle 550 miles for Adoption UK
We adopted our boys four years ago and I can say it is both the best and the hardest thing I have ever done. We went through the whole adoption process from application to placement in nine months. It was something of a whirlwind which ended up with two toddlers being left in our care. Fully walking, running, climbing, giggling, screaming, not sleeping little people! The words baptism of fire spring to mind! I would say that it almost broke me, but the support of my husband, our families, social workers, and fellow adopters got me through. The boys are both at school now and doing well. We have been fortunate up until this point to not need too much in the way of additional support, but you never know what’s around the corner.
My husband Andy is currently having a career break and decided he wanted to do something productive with his time off, and to raise some money for AdoptionUK in the process. So, he and a friend will be cycling from the Scottish offices of AdoptionUK, down to the UK Head Office near Oxford, and then back to Norfolk! They will cover 550 miles over six days from September 6 to 11, finishing at Old Buckenham Country Park.
I graduated with an Honours degree in Sports Rehabilitation. Despite being a standalone profession for nearly 30 years, it’s unheard of in these parts, so I would describe myself as a cross between a Physiotherapist and a Personal Trainer, with a specialism in sports injuries as well as general musculoskeletal injuries and pain conditions. I treat such a wide range of people and that’s what I love about my job – the diversity! I could be helping a young athlete get back to sport after an injury, and my next appointment of the day being to help an older adult who is struggling to bend and put their socks on!
I have worked in this area for 17 years now, initially from the old Carrefour Health Club (Now Bannatynes) in Costessey, then from my home clinic (converted garage) in Mattishall, and now from ProActive Therapies in Honingham. I had started taking on additional therapists whilst in Mattishall to provide additional hours and then to cover my adoption leave. I loved working with other therapists again, after working mostly on my own for so many years. It’s great to have that support from other like-minded professionals and to have people to bounce ideas off. So, we decided to take the plunge and take out a lease on an external premises which had more space to bring in further therapists, with the aim of building a therapy centre offering a whole range of treatments.
We signed the lease on the premises at the end of January 2020, blissfully unaware of the gravity of the situation developing in Asia. If we had known then what we know now, I doubt we would have taken it on. We opened the doors on March 2, 2020 and were forced to close them again three weeks later. It has to be said that I shed a few tears but realised there was nothing much I could do about it, other than try to make something positive out of the situation. I started offering video consultations for those with Injuries who couldn’t see a professional. Whilst I didn’t do as many as I had hoped, it was a useful service to offer to those who really needed some advice and were otherwise left out in the cold.
We were permitted to reopen in mid-July but found that during that time two of the therapists who were with us in March, had decided not to return. This was a blow given that I now had a three-room clinic to fill and only two part-time therapists! However, we persevered and now have eight therapists offering a range of services including: Sports Massage; Chinese Acupuncture; Reflexology; Hypnotherapy; Counselling; Aesthetics; Craniosacral Therapy and Holistic Massage.
Personally, the pandemic and lockdown situations were far less difficult than I imagined. It was nice to slow down, stop running from one event, meeting or commitment to another and just be at home, the four of us, much like in the early days of our boys moving in. It taught me to enjoy the simple things again and realise that the kids didn’t need lots of days out and playdates, they were content at home – going for walks on the local footpaths and having picnics in the garden!
My particular area tends to fair the financial storms fairly well, because generally if someone is in pain, they want it ‘fixed’ as soon as possible. But for those therapists who offer ‘relaxation’ type therapies, or those deemed to be a luxury, periods of economic hardship are always going to be a challenge. However, there is a big movement now promoting wellness and mental health which many more people are deciding is essential and non-negotiable. So maybe it’s not the first thing to go once the belt needs to be tightened! After all, if you haven’t got your health (mental and physical), what have you got?
My hopes are to continue to be happy, healthy and surrounded by my family and friends. I hope my boys continue to do well and are content on whatever path they choose. My dream is to build ProActive Therapies into the ‘go-to’ place for health therapies in mid-Norfolk. Then I think I’ll retire to somewhere sunny and warm!
Visit ProActive Therapies. Andy Dawson will be cycling from Adoption UK Edinburgh to the Oxford Head Office and back to Norfolk between September 6 and 11, 2022. If you are interested in joining the team, either cycling all or some of the event or driving the support vehicle, please contact Andy on 07788392807 or at dawsonandrew80@yahoo.co.uk. There is also a Just Giving page for sponsorship for the event where people can donate.
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