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The
Story of Ferringtons Natural Therapy Centre (Stage one)
Ferringtons was a dream back in 1988, Lorraine Ferrie and Mo were
considering Glasgow to launch their idea, that was until they saw
the magnificent building that is Castle Terrace in Bridge of Weir,
in 1998.
The Change
of Location meant a long frustrating wait as the builders ( not
known for speed ) took a long time with admittedly a difficult building....
Some
might have given up but not the Girls , they put down a deposit
to ensure their prime spot and went away and built up a Driving
School which is flourishing today, and helped to build a Call Center
in Glasgow.
Funding
was a serious issue, a car was sold to produce the Deposit and then
raising finance proved to be impossible as most banks felt they
were not worth the risk, so undeterred Mo decided to sell her home
to fund the project, and if it was necessary Lorraine would also
sell her home if necessary at a later date.
The Original
Idea for Ferringtons was to have a nice stylish place, as the girls
felt that therapy businesses tend to be a little small , closed
at the front and a wee bit secretive. With the change of location
Ferringtons became much more than intended very quickly. It was
big, very stylish, colorful, and open for all to see. The building
was an imposing one which set a standard for all to follow.
July
1999 was a long time coming but eventually the company was registered
and opened doors for trading with bags of enthusiasm and many prayers.
Starting
with Therapeutic Massage as Lorraine is a masseuse, and a friend
doing Reflexology seemed a good place to begin. It became obvious
very soon that the demand for Natural Therapy was there and that
the girls would have to find more therapists to fill the expectations
of the public. Homeopathy, Kinesiology, NLP and Phytotherapy came
in next, followed by Chiropody, Shiatsu and the Alexander Technique
and Reiki.
The Bowen
Therapy was next followed by Acupuncture both Traditional and a
revolutionary new Laser Acupuncture technique. Osteopathy and Nutrition
followed and Medical Herbalists joined the team late into the second
year. The third year brought in Yoga and Pilates Classes and a Sports
Injury Clinic . The Beauty Suite opened up at the end of the third
year and it was at that time the girls realized that they might
have to move the practice.( Castle terrace in Bridge was definitely
the right place to launch Ferringtons but not the location to continue.)
People
responded to Ferringtons very well, they liked the relaxed and friendly
human touch, they liked the chat and the time that was spent with
them, and they just loved the atmosphere.
"
The Atmosphere wraps itself around you as you walk in the door "
said one and ,
"
This is a place where you can step off the world and be yourself
" said another.
During
the building up time for Therapy, the retail shop started to gain
momentum, bringing in Unusual but very relevant products. Large
Companies like BioForce, Quest and Solgar mixed in with products
that complemented the Practitioners like Essiac, Dr Udo's oils and
Manuka products from New Zealand., French Clay , Vitamins and supplements,
not to mention the gift items of Stones and unusual rocks, Wheaty
Warmers, Candles, and oils, soaps and cards all handmade.
The Innovation
and Creativity Award Renfrewshire Excellence 2000 was won and this
was followed by Paisley District Chamber of Commerce finalist award.
Best Business. 2001 found Ferringtons short listed for Most Promising
Business Award.
HRH The
Prince of Wales has long been pushing for Integrated practices and
this happened naturally at Ferringtons. It seemed the sensible thing
to do and hit the BBC news when a registered GP joined the practice
as a Private GP and also a GP with a complementary therapy under
her belt. To follow Dr Geddes came Dr Cassidy who is also a registered
Hypnotherapist this gave Ferringtons two General Practitioners and
more would follow.
As time
passed a waiting list of Practitioners built up to replace the ones
who fell by the wayside or who were not up to standard and suddenly
a higher standard of practitioners became available as the practice
was a most desirable one to work from. Referrals were coming in
from local Doctors and the field trip to the Highland and Islands
was organized under the Alternative Health Service ( Ferringtons
.The team flew to Uist and put on a weekend presentation of Alternative
Therapy and also organized to provide a regular service to the island
and a collection/delivery service for islanders visiting the mainland
at Glasgow Airport.
The CAM
awards took place and Ferringtons was shortlisted for an award for
Outstanding Practice 2003.
In 2002
it was crunch time and the search for a new location took a more
serious turn. The Clinic was full to bursting point and the parking
outside was non -existent so after looking at many interesting possibilities
the girls were led to an old Scottish Estate on the Clyde. This
was entirely due to an interested client who did everything she
could to help, and so here was an excellent location.This time it
was Lorraines turn to sell her home as there was a fair bit of expense
in re-location costs and building improvements, not to mention new
equipment for the extra rooms.Ferringtons was worth the investment
and the decision was taken very quickly much to the surprise of
the bank manager.
Ferringtons
at Finlaystone ( Stage two ) 2003
Main
entrance on the M8, settled in woodlands and gardens with waterfalls
and even a Swan-Pond . A short distance from the existing center
with ample parking , loads of character and the peace of the country,
not to mention passing a Stately Home en-route !
The Old
Coach House was set by the stable yard and would require a great
deal of renovation, but as the last building has also required to
be upgraded this was just par for the course. The new center would
be double the size with a conference room set in the old Hay loft
great for classes and workshops . The decision was taken and the
lease signed and moved geared up for February 2003. The planning
of the changeover was like a Military campaign and it was all hands
on deck for Practitioners and clients alike and the move was a work
of art. Ferringtons Bridge of Weir closed on the Friday and Ferringtons
Finlaystone opened on time on the following Monday !!! Quite an
achievement and great fun with every task completed and some we
hadn't even thought on.
In November
2003 Ferringtons was shortlisted for the Best Complementary Practice
award from Complementary & Natural Healthcare.Expo.
It was
a little like starting all over again in many ways but older and
wiser and so much more in control rather than testing the waters.
What a pleasure to come to work and the clients just loved the new
look of Ferringtons. All the Consulting rooms individually decorated
to a style to suit the Therapy but managing to keep that special
" feel " known as the "Ferringtons feel" so
that old clients hardly noticed any difference in the main area.
New Practitioners
joined the team to provide an even better service and this included
two new Doctors, one a Homeopath and the other a Dr. of Ayurvedic
Medicine from India Dr Sunita Shukla.
The new
Ferringtons evening talks were started as a way of helping the public
understand what complementary therapy can do to help them. Each
talk featured a different practitioner on a different subject and
very popular they have proved to be.An outreach group was formed
to do visiting presentations to various local groups, e.g. The Rural,
WRI, the Lions & Golf clubs and Church groups this generated
new clients from the new area very quickly indeed back up by mail
shots and leaflet drops.
Ferringtons
has now been in the new Location a year with growth showing well
and new therapies offered gathering momentum. The Conference and
workshop market has opened up and this all goes into the building
of the practice.The CAM awards again for Outstanding Practice took
Ferringtons to a finalists position and again the only Scottish
Practice Nominated.
In March
2004 Mo represented Ferringtons at the Natural Health Show on the
panel of Problem solvers which was held in Brighton and which gave
Ferringtons the opportunity to meet many interesting people and
explain that there is a Multi Disciplinary Integrated practice in
Scotland and it is called
Ferringtons.
Ferringtons
will take quite a while to recoup the investment but as this is
not the priority the reputation of the Company being the most important
issue, ethics, standards and genuine care for the community and
beyond are far more important than accumulating wealth and as far
as the girls are concerned they would rather have the reputation
than
the trappings of wealth.
Ferringtons
(Stage 3)
There
are many options to set in the sights of Ferringtons. The center
of excellence is a daily goal but adding in residential facilities
is on the cards as is a retreat on the banks of Loch Lomond complete
with pool and hot tub aside the therapy room.
To establish
a teaching program in all areas that the center covers is another
project , although Emergency First Aid and Reiki 1,2, & 3 have
already started.Adding in weekend workshops, and building the small
conferences market is a priority The Herb walk on the Estate is
in the planning stages with the medical herbalist Maureen Russell
and the head Gardner and should prove very popular and to use the
facility of the estate for the fitness instructor.
The Autism
project has started with the Nutritionist ( under the support from
the Renfrewshire Austism and Asperger group ) undergoing the DAN
course in London.Ferringtons will support this group in any way
possible to help to find answers to the Autism problem.
http://www.ferringtons-scotland.co.uk
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