Bedale Osteopaths is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a series of prize draws to thank its customers.
This anniversary represents a remarkable personal journey for Suzanne Hibberd, founder and owner of the practice, who established the company in 2002 with her colleague Stuart Bentley.
After being successfully treated by an osteopath having suffered years of back pain as a teenager and in her early 20s Suzanne was inspired to leave a secure job with no grant to train as an osteopath which led her to move from her London roots to North Yorkshire in 1999.
She first worked in Northallerton and then three years later opened the Bedale Osteopathy Practice.
Her dad, Derek, was a large part of the practice working on reception for a number of years.
Suzanne describes her work as a “privilege”.
She said: “The patients throughout the last two decades have been amazing people and it is such a privilege to work so closely with them.
“We are often seeing people when they are low, vulnerable and in pain.
“Taking a medical history is a very personal thing and then the fact that we work hands-on also makes for quite a unique experience which means that you form quite strong relationships very quickly.
“There is nothing more satisfying than listening to a person’s story, piecing it together and being able to then work through how they can help themselves.
“I had a patient once whose whiplash had meant that she had not turned her neck to either side for years.
“After listening, examining, a little massage and pain education, at the end of the session she could move for the first time in years.
“To her it felt like a miracle. To me it was a combination of being thrilled that I could help alongside frustration that she had suffered so long because of a lack of good advice and gentle exercises.
“We are about so much more than just treatment – our aim is to empower each client with knowledge about conditions and to offer advice about how they can manage and improve symptoms – ultimately to provide them with a toolkit to compliment any treatment they receive from us.”
The impact Suzanne and her team have had on their clients is highlighted by the testimonials they have received.
Osteopathy is a skilled profession involving four year’s training in techniques to relieve pain throughout the joints and muscles of the body, together with increasing patient mobility, helping with stress and the management of chronic illnesses.
The team in Bedale comprises of osteopaths Stuart Bentley, Anna Blackwall and Felix Tongue, acupuncturist Nicola Rawstron, remedial massage therapist Helen Storey, practice manager Sarah Hughes and receptionist Katherine Alvarez.
To celebrate its landmark 20th anniversary, the company will be thanking some of its most long standing, as well as more recent patients, by a series of prize draws throughout October.
These will give people the chance to win prizes from some of the outstanding local businesses in Bedale such as Cockburn’s Butchers, Institution Café and Brathwaites Garden Centre.
Sticking with the 20s theme, there will also be 20 smaller lucky dip prizes available to everyone who attends the clinic for a treatment throughout September.
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