I was born and brought up in Lincolnshire, and despite starting my working life in London as a solicitor, and then, over the last 25 years, living and working in places including China, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, in a wide variety of roles, I keep coming back here!
My passion for complementary therapies grew during the two years I lived in New Zealand, where I worked on organic farms, met many healers and therapists, attended massage workshops and was introduced to Reiki.
On my return to the UK in 2000 I spent a year at the renowned Tisserand Institute in London, studying for my diploma in holistic aromatherapy.
Soon after I qualified I was asked to go to Johannesburg and set up an administrative centre there for a UK-based charity. In addition to educational programmes, the funds supported creches, pre-schools and feeding schemes for AIDS orphans, and provided training and support for carers who went into the homes of HIV positive ladies who were often struggling as single parents.
Although my role was mostly administrative, one of my personal highlights was running hand and foot massage workshops for these carers, in Soweto and other townships, showing them that safe touch was one of the most wonderful ways in which they could provide comfort to people who received very little or no physical contact.
Since then I have continued to use my massage and essential oil blending skills in a variety of ways, and also made return visits to New Zealand, completing my Reiki Master training there in 2002. You can read more about Reiki here.
My main hobby 2005-2014 was cycling – starting with fund-raising rides from Bilbao to Barcelona for the Soil Association (I found my massaging skills made me very popular each evening, and earned me a mention in an article about the ride in The Guardian!! http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2001/jul/07/cyclingholidays.cycling.spain ) and from Lands End to John O’Groats in 5 days for the charity I worked for in South Africa and later progressing to time-trialling at a National level for a ladies’ racing team.
As a cyclist who has spent many hours training and competing, I know how beneficial massages can be. I am not a sports massage therapist, but a number of fellow athletes have found that some of the essential oils I use, combined with my massage, can aid relaxation and recovery.
I get tremendous satisfaction from seeing the variety of benefits my friends, family and clients receive from personalised combinations of essential oils, administered by massage, creams, baths and inhalation.
Whether you are in need of a full body massage in the warmth and quiet of my treatment rooms as respite from a stressful job, housebound and longing for some gentle hand and foot massage, aching from lots of exercise, suffering from a specific skin condition, having digestive or sleep problems, or just deserve a relaxing treat, I believe that essential oils can provide valuable support to our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, and combined with massage can have beneficial effects for everyone.
I look forward to being able to share those benefits with all my clients, so if you have a particular issue that you hope may benefit from an aromatherapy treatment, or if you would just love the opportunity to escape the telephone/ children/ office for a while, and receive a relaxing massage or reflexology treatment, please do contact me to discuss a treatment and arrange an appointment.
I also offer Reflexology, Reflexology Lymph Drainage, HEARTS Process and Massage for cancer care – please contact me if you have any queries about a treatment.
Kind regards
Clare
TIDHA – Tisserand Institute Diploma in Holistic Aromatherapy
MIFA – Member International Federation of Aromatherapists – member no.10285
MFHT – Member Federation of Holistic Therapists
Reiki III
Full Professional Indemnity Insurance