MEMBERS
PLEASE NOTE:
50th AGM – March 24th in London. Please contact
the office to book a place or register apologies for absence.
Parents please note:
Back to school means wearing
properly constructed footwear. If your child has been in flip flops,
sandals, trainers etc. their feet will have become a little flaccid. Going
back to constructed footwear may rub in places (usually around the heel).
There is nothing wrong with the shoes or fit, simply the nature of the
beast. We recommend your child wears their new shoes indoors with socks
on, in short bursts, until they have to be worn at school all day.
Ill fitting shoes
do not
just affect your feet but your entire physiology. If you are in pain or
uncomfortable, you shift your body weight and change your gait (way that you
walk). This puts pressures on other areas of the body and may create aches
and pains elsewhere in the body. Young children will often overlook
discomfort or be too young to tell you if their shoes and socks hurt – and it is
in the formative years when damage can be done that will in effect, last a
lifetime – not becoming obvious until later in life.
Qualified Shoe Fitters are
sadly in a minority as there is no law that states that people selling shoes
should know about feet or footwear – appalling! It is only those people
who respect the knowledge required to do the job properly that bother to qualify
and retain their membership. Shoe Fitters do not make a charge for their knowledge or service
unlike other ‘professional’ people – so
why take the risk of fitting yourself or shopping online?
However, there is very little
profit in selling shoes in comparison to clothing etc. We ask you to
respect that if you choose to buy shoes online or from a supermarket etc. you
should not ‘use/abuse’ the fitting service offered by good independent shoe
shops. What a ‘gauge’ says is actually irrelevant, it is merely a starting point
to a qualified fitter. All gauges are calibrated differently and it
depends upon the style of shoe being fitted, brand, materials, construction
method, even country of origin
affect the fit. A qualified fitter may spot a potential problem and refer
you to a GP or chiropodist.
Remember: Damage can be done in a child’s formative years that may affect their complete
physiology – which in turn may affect their health several ways in later life!
Even migraine can be attributed to ill-fitting shoes!
Children’s shoes should be
fitted
by trained professionals.
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