When I was young I decided that I wanted to be involved in medicine. I originally wanted to be a doctor, but as I was growing up in the West Indies I knew that this was not a realistic option. I had no idea what aromatherapy was then, although my grandmother used a lot of traditional treatments.
I came over to Britain in my early teens and came to Bristol, on the other side of the country from Ipswich but like Ipswich a historic port and a regional centre. Because I was slightly older than 11, I was not allowed to take the 11 plus and was sent to the local secondary modern school, where I was expected to leave at 16. I don’t resent this as I took an active part in the school athletics program and started a life long interest in diet and physical fitness. I also became a national beauty queen at that time, but I can’t but that down to the school!
I decided to stay on at 16, so I became the first member of my family to take A Levels, in biology, chemistry and physics (I’m also the first member of my family to live in Ipswich). I knew that this would help me in my efforts to become a nurse. It also helped me to become an aromatherapist, although I did not know this at the time.
Early Training
I left college to earn a living, but I knew I wanted to go into nursing. I applied to the Bristol Royal Infirmary, which then as now is one of the strictest and best nursing programs in the country. At the time I was one of the first women from a West Indian background to join this program. Most West Indian nurses at the time were trained in the West Indies rather than England, but by this time I had lived almost half my life in England and if one of the best nursing programs in the country was on my doorstep, I wanted to get into it.
So I trained as a nurse and I was on the route to becoming a sister. However I was young and restless and wanted to see how the best medicine was done and so I decided to become a nurse in London. I worked in most of the top London hospitals, specialising in intensive care and in heart problems. I assisted in one of the earliest kidney transplants carried out in this country, rushing over to collect a kidney that had been flown in via Concord. It was during this time that I became more interested in non-invasive therapies, such as aromatherapy. I’ve never been against conventional medicine, unlike too many alternative health practitioners, but I see aromatherapy as being a great compliment to good health.
Starting Aromatherapy
I became a medical secretary and set up a secretarial agency. I went back to nursing in the 1990s but I decided at that time that I would also become an aromatherapist. This was when aromatherapy was seen as a bit of a quack treatment, and it took me quite a long time to find a mentor who was genuinely qualified. At the same time I trained to get my aromatherapy certification, and my nursing training certainly helped me. I understand that a lot of people who practice as aromatherapists don’t get qualified because the aromatherapy qualifications are so tough, which can also mean that they can not get adequate aromatherapy insurance. This is why I think being a nurse is such an advantage in aromatherapy
I set up a practice in Hampstead, which is still thriving, and where the prices are considerably higher than Ipswich.
Coming to Ipswich
In 2004 I moved into Ipswich, and it’s a town that I love. I set up a practice in 2005 offering both aromatherapy and Lymphatic drainage.
One of the things that I really like about people from Ipswich is that they are no one’s fool. That’s why I let you know about my background. If you thought I was some sort of quack, then I’d starve.