A seed of an idea, a dream that grew, a vision fulfilled!
My name is Mary Murphy. Twenty years ago I was in the ‘same place’ as many of my current clients. Things changed when I went to college to study reflexology and had free treatments. I needed to find clients to gain my experience with; most of whom lived on the same council estate as me, an area with much social deprivation and associated problems of poverty, mental health and addiction issues. Working with those people gave me the seed of an idea, that grew into a dream which I fed with patience and determination, to eventually be able to open a weekly clinic to address the total lack of provision of affordable therapies; to help people feel included, visible and worthwhile.
My project, The Human Touch, aims to and is reaching many local people in my community and beyond, helping them improve their health and wellbeing by providing a range of affordable therapies for all. These people are usually unable to access complementary therapies because of having low budgets, and often with mental health and other chronic health complaints, believing that specialist consultations are beyond their reach. The Human Touch opened in February 2014 and since then has provided more than 250 ‘affordable’ specialist consultations, beauty treatments and complementary therapies.
In October 2014 I achieved a place at the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE), Hampshire. At that time I had no idea I had a budding social entrepreneur hiding, quite literally, in my wings. In the past year the grant from Lloyds Bank and the National Lottery, the clear and well delivered lessons from the tutors Karen & Fiona, the expert witnesses who have visited, the listening ear and reflection from my mentor, working with my peers and discovering the very valuable tool of ‘Action Learning’ have all helped me transform the original seed of an idea into a successful self-sustaining social enterprise. I am totally thrilled to have been voted Peer of the Year by my classmates, who said, “She cared most about the whole group”, “Mary has experienced the most personal growth of all of us” and “The Human Touch has evolved completely into a success story which will grow and grow”.
The last part of the grant provided by Lloyds will enable me to attend a teacher training course in mindfulness and meditation in November. Then watch this bright space for the announcement of the opening of ‘affordable meditation’ early in 2016 – to be known as The Bliss Out Hour!
My experience at SSE has helped me gain a huge increase in self-confidence and belief in my project. Very recently we won first place in a competition run by the Holistic Therapist Magazine, awarding the best in the industry The Human Touch beat hundreds of other entries to a short list of three, then won the award for Best Small Business of the Year 2015 for most financial success and many other far reaching broader reasons, such as reaching out to members of the local community and helping them feel heard, valued, and visible.
The team have spread their wings all summer and will continue through the winter and spring, providing service of many mini-treatments to a variety of fund raiser days, charity fun days and holistic fairs. They are also available as part or whole team for any event you are planning. The future for the Human Touch is looking rosy; they are here to stay, with four practitioners waiting eagerly to bring new practices to the project by spring 2016.
The Shoreham Centre building works are finished, bringing a beautiful new, light filled building and great upgrade to all of the original spaces. There is direct access from the carpark at the rear of the building, and lift access via the lift to your left as you enter the main building through the automated front doors.
The Human Touch vouchers are an ideal gift, and can be personalised for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, or any other occasion. For information: practitioners, therapies, what’s on, news, and vouchers please visit thehumantouchshoreham.com
“I received 10 sessions of foot reflexology from Mary to help sort out a range of health problems, mainly headaches, and I wanted to conceive. I was very open to receiving complementary therapies after going through the conventional routes of my GP to help, especially with issues around conception. I had a certain belief in alternative therapies before my course of reflexology but I was surprised how quick the results were and how open Mary was in her approach to my problems. Since the course of reflexology with Mary my headaches have gone and I have conceived, carried to full term and given birth to my son. I would recommend reflexology with Mary to anyone” Jessikah Willow
