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SOSF NEWS Update from SSF Secretary, Laura West.


The Society of Shoe Fitters starts 2016 on a hugely positive note following an amazing year banging the drum for the expertise of our membership and flying the flag for everyone offering a shoe fitting service. We have been to Parliament and have the Minister for Life Sciences, George Freeman MP, on side, as well as important contacts made within the NHS. We hope that several items on our ‘wish list’ will bear fruit over the months and years to come, all of which will assist our membership the most, but also retailers and manufacturers generally. There is a wind of change about the NHS as


they are starting to think in terms of ‘preventative as opposed to remedial’ medicine; therefore our membership fits the bill. With 135 foot amputations weekly as well as knee, hip, back and neck operations, they need to think from the feet up and start educating parents about the importance of well fitted footwear. The MPs attending our event also agreed that it


is vital to keep senior citizens mobile and if their feet are uncomfortable they cannot exercise. Your skills can and do help! If you would like to know more about our event you can access photographs etc. from the homepage of our


website www.shoefitters-uk.org. Don’t forget to ‘Like’ our Facebook page too! We hope to send out National Shoe Fitting


Week (w/c 19th March) posters, AGM information etc. Diabetes UK have finally agreed to support National Shoe Fitting Week and their membership is vast, therefore this will have another knock-on benefit to you all as their logo will appear on the posters. Don’t forget there is also the Footwear Awards


Dinner on the Sunday night of MODA with numerous members up for Awards (good luck all). Being nominated is fantastic regardless of winning! Even if you are not up for an Award it is still worth going to the Dinner as it is great fun, a good meal and the entertainment gets better year-on-year, superb value for a glittering night out. Don’t be worried about being alone you are most welcome to sit on the SSF table, so please contact me if you would like to come – the more the merrier. We are also planning to liaise with our Podiatry friends and create a Footwear and Foot Health Conference later in the year (probably early October). This will be open to all and will offer an


Laura West, Secretary, Society of Shoe Fitters


excellent chance to network and promote your shops and businesses …more about that in the January mailing. It only remains on behalf of our President and


Council to wish you and your families well for the festive season. Thank you for your loyalty and if we can be of


assistance or support at any time we will always do our best. Kind regards for 2016,


Laura West, Secretary, Society of Shoe Fitters. A not-for-profit organisation since 1959


Letter from Professor Wesley Vernon OBE – President, Society of Shoe Fitters


Since my last communication the long anticipated event “Politically Correct Footwear: how comfortable are a politician’s shoes?” has been held at Westminster on 28th October. The event sponsor, George Freeman MP is the current UK Minister for Life Sciences at the Department of Health and as such is well positioned to promote the advantages of shoe fitting for maximum impact. We are extremely grateful to George for


arranging this opportunity for the Society and for the encouragement and support he has provided to the Society to date.20 MPs attended the event along with representatives from the Department of Health. Given that there were two of the most


important debates for some time taking place in Parliament that day (‘steel’ and ‘pay forjunior doctors’), the number of MPs able to attend was quite remarkable and the level of interest in the ability and potential of shoe fitters in relation to achieving foot health improvement across the Nation was most encouraging. Apparently having a Minister on side meant that the event was judged a success even before it took place. Key representatives from other footwear


organisations particularly with interests in foot health attended to support the Society. These included Associate Professor Mike Curran, Chair of the Healthy Footwear Guide Scheme, Dave Dunning, Chair of the Society of


Chiropodists and Podiatrists and John Saunders, CEO of the British Footwear Association as well as other footwear professionals and the footwear trade press (who we are hoping will give the SSF a good few column inches). Again we are most grateful to those organisations for supporting the Society through their representations and particularly to the Healthy Footwear Guide Scheme who provided a generous donation towards the event costs as did Charles Denton of D.B. Shoes and a contribution from new Associate Member Bo-bell too. Thank you all.


Professor Wesley Vernon OBE President, Society of Shoe Fitters


George Freeman MP with Prof Wesley Vernon OBE


Sir David Amess MP Southend West


George Freeman MP meets SSF Secretary Laura West


Minister George Freeman meets Ellie Dickins past president


For more information about Qualified Shoe Fitters, Independent Retailers and National Shoe Fitting Week go online: www.shoefitters-uk.org


10 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • JANUARY 2016 www.footweartoday.co.uk


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