NEWS
The Society of Shoe Fitters Announces new President:
Professor Wesley Vernon, O.B.E. Phd.
In my first address as the new President of the Society of Shoe Fitters I must give thanks to a number of people. Firstly to Ellie Dickins, our immediate Past President for providing such excellent leadership in her two years in office. Ellie has been an extremely ‘hands on’ President representing the organisation at many exhibitions and Podiatry Conferences as well as giving talks to various groups, she rose to the challenge magnificently. I am informed that Ellie is a passionate supporter of the S.S.F. having been a part of the voluntary Council for many years, therefore our membership benefits greatly from her commitment. Secondly to those present at the AGM who supported me being the new
President for the next two years. Finally, to Laura West our permanent Secretary. Without Laura’s excellent work, dedication and underpinning knowledge the Society would be a much poorer organisation. I thought that I would take a moment to introduce myself and tell you
something about my own background and interest in shoe fitting, which is slightly different than that of most other Members of the Society. I qualified as a podiatrist in 1980 and amongst various other academic activities I gained a PhD for footwear related research in 2000 and qualified as a shoe fitter through the Society in 2009. My current working life is highly varied and includes managing the NHS podiatry service in Sheffield, being research lead for Primary and Community Services in Sheffield and undertaking my own research within the same organisation. I am seconded to the University of Huddersfield as a Professor and I am a
Visiting Professor at Staffordshire University. I also work as a forensic practitioner and spend a considerable amount of time during the working week on forensic identification work. Despite the diversity of these various roles, knowledge of footwear is essential to much of the work I am involved in. My interest in shoe fitting is therefore primarily from a health perspective which is different to the majority of Members of the Society who have a background in retail. On my part I don’t see a conflict between either position with the responsibility of any
shoe fitter being to help the client to obtain what they want without causing any un-necessary harm to their feet, body or well-being. During my time in office I would like to see the Society continue to
support the needs of our traditional membership – the footwear retailers, while at the same time reaching out to more practising health professionals, to promote the benefits of their involvement with the Society through education, testing, membership and inter-organisational collaboration. I would particularly like to see more cross fertilisation of knowledge – for example through Society presence and presentation at podiatry conferences and perhaps even considering hosting similar conference events ourselves. However I strongly believe that any moves in this direction should not be
at the expense of our traditional membership. Although not of this background myself I have seen and heard enough during my time with the Society to understand very well that for retailers it’s tough out there with competition growing from those retail sources for whom foot health and excellent shoe fitting are not seen as priorities. In response to this I
would like the Society to use every opportunity including the developing relationships with health professional organisations such as the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, to promote the need for excellent fitting and to highlight the potentially drastic consequences of neglecting this essential phase of uniting a wearer with a new pair of shoes. I am very much looking forward to working with you all during my time as
President. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at any time through the Offices of the Society if you have any ideas, suggestions or concerns that you would liketo raise while I am in office. Thank you your support and I am looking forward to meeting with as many of you as possible over the next two years.
Wesley Vernon O.B.E. PhD. 8 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • JUNE/JULY 2015
www.footweartoday.co.uk
SKECHERS to donate more than 62,000 pairs of Bobs shoes for earthquake victims in Nepal
SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX) has announced that through the Company’s charitable footwear donation program, BOBS from SKECHERS, it will give more than 62,000 pairs of new shoes to support children affected by the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal. This much-needed donation will add to the Company's 11 million-pairs distributed to children in need worldwide since the BOBS charitable program launched in 2011.
Working with donation partners K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers and Soles4Souls,
more than 62,000 pairs of BOBS from SKECHERS donation shoes will be transported to Nepal to aid victims of the April 25 earthquake. The first delivery of more than 36,000 pairs is scheduled to arrive for May distribution. As more rubble is cleared and transitional housing is established for victims of the earthquake, an additional container of 26,000- plus pairs of BOBS will arrive in Nepal for distribution in August.
“BOBS was created as an ongoing program to help children in need
around the world, but when a natural disaster strikes we need to step up even more to help families affected by these tragedies,” began SKECHERS president Michael Greenberg. “With reports of more than 300,000 homes destroyed, 16,000 people injured and thousands of lives lost, we need to do our part to help the people of Nepal rebuild. The need for food, water and shelter is critical, but shoes to protect a child’s feet can offer a feeling of comfort and safety in the midst of a chaotic disaster zone. We are happy to work with our charitable partners K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers and Soles4Souls to transport BOBS shoes into Nepal, and we hope this donation will help thousands of children in need.”
“In the last three years, BOBS from SKECHERS has generously provided
us with more than 6 million pairs of shoes donated for children both here in the U.S. and around the world,” said K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers President Lisa D. Gurwitch. “These shoes are very special for us and the community partners with whom we work, because we can reliably plan on their arrival, we know how many there will be and we receive a size range to serve children from 2 years old through 12 years old. These shoes are an essential item and we strive to include them in programs where the children are also receiving other services and support so that we can be part of solution that helps the whole child.”
“Working with BOBS from SKECHERS for disaster response is powerful,”
said Soles4Souls CEO, Buddy Teaster. “Working together, we were able to distribute more than 200,000 pairs of shoes following Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Now the opportunity to help make a difference is in front of us and, once again, shoes will be an important part of helping tens of thousands of Nepalese get back on their feet.”
The BOBS donation in Nepal is SKECHERS’ latest contribution to help
families affected by disaster; in addition to Typhoon Haiyan relief in the Philippines, previous donations have provided footwear for survivors of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and victims of the devastating Haiti earthquake in 2010. BOBS also regularly donates its product to more than 30 countries worldwide, from communities in need in the United States to families around the globe.
Designed for women and kids, SKECHERS donates new shoes to children in need when consumers purchase BOBS. Those who want to make a difference can find BOBS styles in stores nationwide and markets around the world.
www.skechers.co.uk
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