NATIONAL SHOE FITTING WEEK – STARTS 19th March 2016
NATIONAL
SHOE FITTING WEEK: This is a public information initiative and
everyone is welcome to join in as long as they promote the message that
professional shoe fitting is vital to the health of the nation.
Very few people realise that putting a child in ill-fitting shoes can damage
their health in later life. If we walk to avoid pain then it wears out
other joints and tendons in the body and that is why so many people get problem
knees, leg, hip, back, shoulder and neck pain. If joints wear unnaturally
then nerves can get caught in them creating great pain and in later life
rheumatism and arthritis also attack the worn joints. The bones in our feet are hugely
delicate in childhood, continuing to grow and harden (ossify) into teenage and
then change shape throughout our lifetime. We do not have an exact shoe
size it depends on so many factors – where the shoe is made, the materials, the
Last shape, the heel height, etc.
The public often think that the size
on a fitting gauge is the size they are, when there is actually no
standardisation of shoe sizing in the U.K. (a good thing) and gauges are all
calibrated differently.
Footwear is the only item of clothing that can
seriously affect your health and wellbeing.
NO TWO PAIRS OF FEET ARE THE SAME – NO TWO PAIRS OF
SHOES ARE THE SAME – GAUGES VARY!
A list of well-respected and recommended organisations supporting National
Shoe Fitting Week are:
C.F.H.R. – Children’s Foot Health Register – www.fitkidsshoes.org
I.F.R.A. – Independent Footwear Retailers Association – www.shoeshop.org.uk
SOCPOD – Society of Chiropodists & Podiatrists – www.scpod.org
B.F.A. – British Footwear Association – www.britishfootwearassociation.co.uk
Healthy Footwear Guide – www.healthy-footwear-guide.com
SOMSR – Society of Master Shoe Repairers – www.somsr.com
The Lymphoedema Support Network – www.lymphoedema.org/
Diabetes UK – www.diabetes.org.uk
The Institute of Chiropodists & Podiatrists – www.iocp.org.uk
NEED HELP OR SUGGESTIONS TO JOIN IN NATIONAL SHOE FITTING WEEK? CLICK BELOW!
REGISTRATION
FORM
WARNING NOTICE
POSTERS – TO DOWNLOAD
(Or top copies can be posted to you – just complete the
Registration Form)
NATIONAL SHOE FITTING WEEK POSTER 2016
NATIONAL
SHOE FITTING WEEK LOGO 2016
CHILDRENS
MESSAGE
NO TWO PAIRS OF SHOES OR FEET ARE THE SAME!
COLOURING
COMPETITION TEMPLATES
(These may look a little untidy onscreen
but print well)
These are just suggestions for templates and not S.S.F. competitions.
Please note you need to set your own age groups and must always comply with the
law surrounding competitions.
The entry form is merely a suggestion and we can email in Word format if it
helps.
Bear in mind that if you are displaying the artwork instore, you must not be
able to see the child’s contact information (child protection). It is
therefore advisable to take copies of entries to display and keep the original
entry safe and private.
JUNIOR LITTLE PIGGY’S TEMPLATE
PRESS/P.R.
MATERIAL
You are welcome to use this
material. It can be supplied in word too. Email [email protected]
FOOTWEAR
AND HEALTH RECOGNITION
FOOT
HEALTH
DOES SIZE MATTER
SHOPS NEED HELP TO KEEP SERVICE ALIVE
BLISS NOT BLISTERS – WELL DONE TO RESPONSIBLE PARENTS
FOOTWEAR TODAY ARTICLE – MARCH EDITION
FOOTWEAR TODAY ARTICLE – FEB 14 EDITION SHOWING POSTERS
THE FACTS:
Footwear affects the way we walk (our entire physiology), therefore if we
walk unnaturally for whatever reason (normally due to footwear), it throws out
other joints in the body and wears them unnaturally. As we get older
rheumatism and arthritis attack worn joints, often causing severe pain and
occasionally immobility.
If feet were fitted by professional shoe fitters in childhood (preferably
throughout life) and advice taken over the years, it would not mean wearing ugly
old-fashioned or expensive footwear, it simply means wearing the right shoe for
the right occasion, feeling comfortable and not suffering later.
IS IT CERTAIN
SHOES?: High heels are often criticised, and if worn for
prolonged periods or are ill fitting they are not good – but neither is a
completely flat ballerina style pump if cheaply made and ill-fitted.
Ballerina-type pumps are often fitted too tightly to keep them on the foot and
the insoles are not padded enough on cheaply made shoes, resulting in cases of
Plantar Fasciitis (severe pain in the sole of the foot). Because they have
been fashionable over the past couple of years, more teenagers are being seen by
Chiropodist’s because of this than ever before. In the same way that
sheepskin boots have been in vogue. The original brand of high quality
sheepskin boot does not present a problem as they are constructed properly, but
cheaply made look-alikes become crushed and allow the feet to slop about
inside. The foot is not held correctly in position and pronation and
supination (feet turning in or outward) occurs. Look at the heels of many
young people in these cheaply made boots as they walk in front of you…not
good….and so on….far too much to mention here. G.P.’s are inundated
with problems that would not have arisen if people had worn correctly fitting
shoes. I
Professional Shoe Fitting is preventative medicine that is
FREE!
FUNDING: Despite our lack of funds (we
do not get any government support), National Shoe Fitting Week is inclusive
not exclusive to all. The S.S.F. are trying to help educate the public
and assist our industry as a whole. We cannot afford Advertising Agencies
or P.R. companies, we are relying on networking, posters and kind journalists
who wish to broadcast our news and advice.
SOCIETY OF CHIROPODISTS & PODIATRISTS: Our members have
been working closely with The Society of Chiropodist & Podiatrist member’s
and their numbers have grown over the past two decades. There are now over
11,000 in the U.K. which speaks volumes about the state of the nations
feet!!! The Society of Chiropodists & Podiatrists are
endorsing National Shoe Fitting Week as they are more than aware of the
problems that arise and the difficulties people are having in finding good
footwear – particularly the elderly.
SHOP CLOSURES:
The number of shoe shops that can offer a professional shoe fitting service has
dwindled and continue to close as they are finding it impossible to compete with
online sales and self service supermarkets, and certainly cannot afford High
Street overheads. The availability of very cheap fashion footwear on the
high street has not helped either This is costing the nation dearly…but
they don’t know it…..YET! How and why? …..
If independent shops close, there is A. a lack of
knowledge and expertise and B. less choice of footwear available. Chainstores
do not see the point in educating their staff as there is a high staff turnover
and as shoe fitting can be quite labour intensive, the majority opt for self
service. The big stores will also source their own footwear and it is
usually cheaply made from overseas to create the right mark up to retain high
street multiple positioning. It is the small shops that
traditionally give families advice and personal care based on loyalty.
GAUGES: Some brands of footwear and
large shops have unfortunately taken to selling gauges to the public. This
is like giving a Porsche to a learner driver! You can buy scissors and cut
your own hair, but there is no substitute for using professional scissors and
having hair cut professionally. We feel that fitting gauges should
not be allowed to be sold to the public – no-one knows their shoe size…because
their shoe size will vary dependent upon brand, style, toe shape, materials,
construction method and even country of origin. A qualified shoe fitter
takes all these things into account.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
If you are a journalist, please write about
our organisation and about all types of shoes, not just high fashion. It
is too easy to write about a celebrity and what they are wearing…be different,
you don’t need to scaremonger, just give best advice – seek help from a
professional shoe fitter!
If you are in government or a position of power.
Please set aside £50,000 a year to keep our Society alive and kicking enabling
us to undertake national advertising campaigns and more help lines
available. We can survive (just) on £35,000 a year, but another £15,000
would give us the means to help and educate many more people.
If you are a Chiropodist/Podiatrist. Work
with your trade body and find your local S.S.F. member and support one
another. Our members have trained on a 5 or 10 month course to know how to
do the job of shoe fitting professionally. Later this year we are
providing a course specifically for you – so watch this space!
If you are a shoe shop. Make sure your
staff are professionally trained – you are only as good as your weakest link in
business. New businesses need firm foundations and we give so much advice
and support. It will save money by taking one of our courses.
We can all hit a golf ball, but with the right lessons we will rarely miss a
shot. Training and subscriptions are tax deductable for existing
businesses, and if you have a member of staff who has been fitting quality shoes
for more years than they care to remember, ask them to complete the S.S.F. Entrance
Application. Staff like to feel valued and they will feel far
more comfortable discussing which shoes fit best if they have a qualification
and membership behind them.
If you are the public. THINK about your own feet and your
families feet. Do you have a neck, back, shoulder, hip or leg pain?
Do your feet look ugly? Are you too ashamed of your feet to wear nice
strappy sandals or go barefoot? Why take the responsibility of fitting
your children’s feet when there are professionals to do it for you? It is
not cheaper to buy self service or online in the long run. Shoes can be
inferior quality and therefore will not have good fitting properties, will look
awful and fall apart in no time at all. Buying online costs postage and
packing (and the hassle of sending them back if they are wrong) ….BUT how do
you know if they are wrong? You are not qualified to know, why should you
be, but like teeth, ears and eyes, your children’s feet need professional
care. It is important to get children’s feet regularly checked, but please
do not ask what their size is because it means nothing in relation to the shoes
they need. Using your local shoe shop just as a showroom or fitting
service to buy elsewhere is rude, you wouldn’t go into a restaurant and bring
out your sandwiches! Their stock and their overheads are costly and the
profit margin is very low. You can always ask the Manager if there is any
room for negotiation, but generally they all adhere to current price lists
recommended by their suppliers.
PLEASE THINK FEET,
THING FITTING and if you want a professional shoe fitter then check
out our list from our homepage or click this link Register
of Members