A
Guide to...
The Society of Shoe Fitters
A
Guide to...
The Society of
Shoe Fitters
Produced by The Society of Shoe Fitters
For more information contact The Secretary
Tel. +44 (0)1953-851171
Email: Click Here
The Society of Shoe Fitters was founded in 1959 (our history can be
viewed from our Home Page).
We are a 'not-for-profit' organisation, and membership is through qualification only. It is a personal membership and not a corporate membership. We are supported by selective companies known as Associate Members, who share our aims and objectives.
Our aims and objectives are:
To assist members of the public who have problems related to shoe fitting, foot care, shoe buying etc.To train people working within the shoe industry and related industries about how to fit shoes correctly.
To inform and disseminate information regarding foot health and footwear.
We are made up of Shoe Fitters, Chiropodists, Podiatrists, Company
Representatives and Agents, Technicians from international companies (i.e.
Tesco, BHS, Next) and Laboratory staff connected to
footwear (i.e. Inchcape Testing Services).
The Society is governed by a voluntary Council (pictured you will see our current President - Mr. Bernard O'Brien of Tuam, S. Ireland). The Society employs a Secretary (currently Laura West) for management and administration.
We can train anyone involved in footwear or foot care to fit shoes correctly via a distance learning course, which is punctuated by three 'hands on' Workshop days - two in London and one a factory visit.
We can provide in-store training and seminars.
We fund a 'help line' - the public, members and industry, shoe buying and foot health education material, and this website including a Register of Members (of those who wish to promote their services).
We assist the public, industry and other professional bodies including: Trading Standards, NHS health workers and the Job Centre (in their 'getting back to work' start up training). Grants are sometimes available for training (Skillset, Learning & Skills Council etc.) but all training is tax deductable so your accountant will advise you.
Originally it was to ensure that the knowledge and experience of shoe fitters remained constant, and to bring together like-minded shoe retailers to lobby government and manufacturers as a body. With the demise of the UK footwear industry (due to the majority of footwear being made more competitively overseas), the founders of the Society have become visionaries, as the information they collated is needed more than at any other time in the last 50 years.
There is always something new to learn as innovative materials are invented, together with new methods of manufacture. Our member, Tutor and Past President Alan Hemsley F.S.S.F. of Southampton once said "the most fascinating thing about this industry is that you can be a part of it all your life, but it continues to evolve. It is possible for me to learn something new from one of my students". Alan passed away in 2005 having been a part of the Society for more than 40 years and involved in footwear all his life - he was even born above a shoe shop in Southend! Alan tutored hundreds of students over his lifetime and he is a great loss to shoe fitting and our organisation.
Sadly without the UK factories many skills and highly skilled jobs are disappearing, and the associated companies i.e. tanneries, buckle makers etc. have declined too, making it much more difficult to understand the making and fitting of footwear. It is the aim of the Society to ensure that we retain as much information as possible and to educate those new to the trade.
Chiropodists and Podiatrists have far more people on their books than ever before. Orthopaedic Departments within hospitals have long waiting lists and there are thousands of man-hours wasted due to people taking time off work due to leg, hip, back and neck problems. Even migraine can be attributed to ill-fitting footwear. If the public were more aware of the affect their shoes have on their physiology and well-being, and the damage they can do to their children's health by putting their offspring in the wrong shoes, it would save the NHS a fortune and a lot of pain and misery in later life.
We have always been self-funded because to date, we have not been able to tap into any government or outside funding. We are always grateful for donations however small. If there is funding available we would like to hear about it please! Because we are 'not-for-profit' and therefore not registered as a charity, it closes many doors, but in effect we are a charity. With rising costs in postage, printing, stationery and telephone calls, it is a considerable worry keeping our services open and available to those who need them. Bearing in mind our teaching and advice can and does save the NHS a considerable amount of money annually, we should receive government support.
Usually our Correspondence Course creates the much needed revenue to sustain our help-line and education material, but this is never guaranteed, and therefore we appreciate any assistance, to ensure we continue to offer help and guidance. A small amount of our revenue is from membership subscriptions which we keep as low as possible to encourage members to retain their qualification.
For the satisfaction of knowing that you have achieved the necessary skills to provide a 'first class' service.
To continue our long tradition of educating the public and those within the industry.
To keep our help line and information service available.
Remember - Happy smiling feet = happy
smiling faces!
Our Senior Tutor Maureen Unsworth
F.S.S.F.
always says; "You should aim to sell shoes that don't come back - to
people who do!"