My journey began in 1987, working in a residential school for children with autism and further additional needs – first in Shrewsbury, then in Basingstoke two years later. Whilst working in Basingstoke, I helped develop the sensory curriculum used at the school, which had massage as one of its focuses.

Realising all the positive benefits massage had on the children, I decided to personally develop further in this field, and gained my first massage qualification in 1994; as a fun fact, I took the exam on the Wednesday, and gave birth to my first daughter the following day!

Whilst raising my own children, the Basingstoke residential school invited me to become their independent advocate, with a focus on ensuring the well-being needs of each child were being met. I further decided to branch out to focus on aromatherapy, and after gaining my qualifications, I began working as an aromatherapist at the school, thus starting my career as a complementary therapist working with both children and adults with additional needs.

In 2018 I developed my training and began to incorporate the principles and methodology of Special Yoga into my sessions.

After carrying out these practices for a long period of time, I now feel a combination of Special Yoga and massage is where my true calling lies, and I’m passionate about developing a programme that helps children with additional needs become calmer and more able to self-soothe.