Meet The Team

Lynne Midwinter

Lynne qualified in 1988 from St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London. She then worked for a ski season in the French Alps before returning to the NHS in Slough, Hemel Hempstead and Manchester. She developed a specialism in Complex Spinal Problems while working at Trafford where she piloted a direct access Back Assessment Clinic and Back School to cut Consultant waiting lists.

When she moved to Rochdale in 1994 as Superintendent Physiotherapist she developed close links with Mr Martin Knight, Consultant Spinal Surgeon, at The Spinal Foundation and has worked with him ever since. She began her private practice in 1996, initially in her own home, expanding into a high street clinic in 2001 and moving into Physio & Therapies new purpose designed clinic in November 2006.

Her specialist interests are in treating the spine, pelvis and headaches and she is currently involved in research concerning the treatment of cervical headaches run by the University of Manchester. She loves the way Physio & Therapies has developed over the years and feels that working as part of such a holistic team has opened her eyes to her ability to heal. She spends her spare time with her daughter Nicole and enjoys dancing, cooking, skiing, swimming and singing.

Kerensa McKie

Kerensa qualified as a Chartered Physiotherapist from the University of Liverpool in 2003 after a successful career teaching outdoor pursuits. While working in the NHS as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist she specialised in upper limb dysfunctions and injuries and also developed an interest in biomechanics and podiatry. Kerensa is experienced in treating all musculoskeletal conditions whether acute or chronic.

Kerensa is a qualified acupuncturist for pain relief and to optimise healing which she uses as an adjunct to her manual Physiotherapy skills. She regularly draws on her wide experience of sport and outdoor activities to help problem solve and treat a wide range of complex conditions and is in her element treating sports people from elite athletes to fun runners and she is currently the lead physio for the Oceans project, a charity that undertakes rowing and wild swimming events and extreme challenges to raise money for education projects across the globe.

Kerensa is an experienced sports woman and regularly competed for Lancashire ladies county archery team as well as coaching archery, running for fitness until recently. She currently undertake canicross and bikejoring with her collie and trains and competes in agility events with he bearded collie. Kerensa is also a keen mountain walker.

Karen Hull

Karen Hull, BSc Hons, MCSP

Karen qualified from Bradford University with a First Class Honours’ degree in Physiotherapy in 2003. She began her career working for the NHS in East Lancashire gaining experience in rehabilitation, outpatients and inpatient work but quickly decided to that neurophysiotherapy was the area she wished to specialise in.
Following promotion she then moved and worked within a dedicated rehabilitation unit from 2006 to 2008; treating a wide variety of patients with neurological conditions such a strokes (CVA), Parkinson’s disease, head injuries, spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis (MS) in which she developed a particular interest.

Apart from her work with Physio and Therapies, Karen now works in Keighley in a specialist Stroke Unit.

In her spare time Karen enjoys singing, which is where she met Lynne, and Pilates as she feels it is important to practice what you preach!

Katy Winters

Musculo-Skeletal & Specialist Pelvic Health Physiotherapist
Katy Winters BSc (hons) MCSP MHCPC

Specialist Practitioner – Pelvic Health

Katy graduated from Nottingham University in 2000 and from there completed her junior rotations at North Manchester General Hospital, later specialising in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and Specialist Incontinence Physiotherapy. She left the NHS in 2006 to work in the private industry and further develop skills in Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation and ‘hands on’ therapy.

She also practices Acupuncture for pain relief and finds this to be a useful tool to unlock painful pathways and assist the rehabilitation process. She still keeps in touch with current Orthopaedic/Gynae surgical cases by working regular weekends for Ramsay Healthcare on the ward. Her therapy technique is enhanced by her love of the outdoors, especially mountains, and Yoga and meditation.

Outside of work she loves being a mummy to 3 beautiful young children and 2 loopy dalmations, all of which have her running up and down the valley!

Andrea Gledhill

Andrea has been with the practice for almost 20 years, having joined the team in 2005 as a relatively newly qualified podiatrist wanting to develop her skills in musculoskeletal assessments alongside working towards her ambition of podiatric surgery training. She has remained with the clinic throughout all her training to become a Podiatric Surgeon and provides us with extended scope foot and ankle assessments, injection therapies and orthotics for our patients with foot pain.

She has just completed her surgical training having received her Completion Certificate in Podiatric Surgery Training in September 2023 and will continue to work at Great Western Hospital NHSFT (Swindon) part time as a podiatric surgeon, but her ultimate goal is to be based in the north of England.

With 1300 surgical procedures, 24 presentations, 3 academic publications, 2 national workforce reports and projects to her name, she is an up-and-coming leader within her profession.  She is heavily involved in research and presenting at national and international level and is currently planning a PhD project with her supervision team. Her key areas of interest are the diabetic foot, shared decision making and the prevention of diabetic foot disease. She has built up an extensive surgical portfolio over her 13 years of surgical training, and has 10 years’ experience in injection therapies, is competent in Ultrasound imaging and is an Independent prescriber.

Andrea works from the practice on a Tuesday and is available to see for foot pain assessments and orthotics, verrucae needling and nail surgery. Her areas of interest in MSK are heel pain, bunions and metatarsalgia.

Outside of work she loves to spend time with her family walking their 2 sausage dogs on the beach and she loves fine dining and socialising with friends.

Simon Walker

Podiatrist

Simon Walker BSc (Hons) MChS qualified with a 2:1 degree in Podiatry from the University of Salford in 2009 and has been with Physio and Therapies since 2010. He works both for the NHS in Rossendale and within the private sector.

Simon is committed to the future of Podiatry and has studied for an MSc in Lower Limb Health, Disease as Rehabilitation at the University of Salford. The Masters gives him a deeper insight into current and future assessments, clinical procedures, and in the development of research for the Podiatric profession.

Simon is highly proficient in all areas of Podiatry and is currently undertaking private research studies into vascular assessments, pathologies and smoking cessation.

As a keen sportsman, Simon has played for the Rossendale Rugby club and has previously played for Northumberland County where he grew up.

Darren Jones

Earwax Specialist

Recent changes within the NHS mean that GP’s are not obliged to remove ear wax and referrals to ENT services mean a long wait and heavy reliance on NHS services.

Excessive ear wax build up can cause symptoms such as reduced hearing, a “blocked” sensation, itching, discomfort or tinnitus. It can also cause hearing aids to whistle and work less effectively.

Darren Jones, our earwax removal specialist, has a 30 year background in healthcare settings. Darren has received recognised training from UK Audiology and Rotherham Ear Care and Audiology. Indemnity and public liability insurances are in place.

We can offer a local, quick, safe service with a minimal waiting time. The treatment is usually completed within 30 minutes and does not always require any preparation.

We use microsuction alongside an endoscope to visualize and safely remove earwax, dry skin and foreign bodies. This treatment is recommended by NICE guidelines. We can also use specialist instruments and a safe variation of traditional ear irrigation (syringing) as required.

Microsuction can be used even in the event of most previous ear conditions including grommets and long term perforated eardrums.

Prices

If you are unsure if you need earwax removal, we offer a visual inspection to check whether earwax is a problem for £25, which is included in any treatment. Wax removal is £55 for one ear, £75 for both ears. If we are unable to remove wax on the first visit, advice and follow up is included.

Evening and weekend appointments are available on request and home visits are available.

Attendance Information

We suggest two nights of olive oil insertion before your appointment. This can be any type of olive oil applied in any way, spoon, pipet etc. We recommend a product called Earol, available at the clinic or in most chemists, which is a fine grade of olive oil in an easy-to-use dispenser. It is best used whilst laying down and applying in each ear separately and allowing it to pool and rest in the ear for 10 minutes. We do not recommend any cotton wool or other type of plug and the oil can be room temperature.

Microsuction is considered a safe procedure, however like all interventions it does have some risk:-

. It can be noisy. It may leave you with a temporary ‘ringing’ ear, similar to having been in a noisy venue. There have been claims that patients have developed tinnitus following the procedure, but this has never been proven.

. It is possible to catch dry skin in the ear, which may cause a small bleed. This is unlikely to be problematic though we treat patients on anticoagulant medication with caution. If bleeding does occur, there is a small chance of infection to the ear, which would require GP intervention.

. Occasionally the treatment may require more than one visit. If this is the case, we will discuss a treatment plan for you and follow up. We only charge once for your treatment though.

The usual clinic room is up three short flights of stairs, however we can easily arrange treatment in a ground floor clinic room on request.

Abi Duffy

Abigail holds Bsc (hons) degrees in both Biology and Podiatry. In 2017 she began practicing Podiatry with Buckinghamshire NHS trust, working with a wide variety of patients. Following the birth of her daughter she moved back north, and joined East Lancashire hospital Trust podiatry department.

As of 2021 Abigail became a specialist podiatrist. She is well versed in the many areas of podiatry, such as nail surgery, wound care, routine, musculoskeletal and biomechanics.

Abigail lives in Todmorden with her partner, daughter and various animals.

Nicola Salter

I have lived in the Upper Calder Valley for over 40 years, I have 4 children all now over 17 and previously fitted my work and training in around school hours. I have a strong 20 year background in holistic therapy, special educational needs education, bereavement counselling and art facilitation.
I began my Podiatry training at Huddersfield University in 2020, Covid 19 had its grip on the world and as a degree student, I had to begin my podiatry training online. Two days a week I became a frontline worker with full PPI working hands-on with podiatry patients at the University of Huddersfield Foot Clinic. My second and third years were spent training in pharmacology, skin viability, wound care, rheumatoid arthritis, orthotics, gait analysis and the diabetic foot patient with plenty of clinical hours developing my general podiatric skills.
I chose to specialise in podiatry, to make a profound difference in people’s lives, allowing them to walk comfortably, run without pain, and regain the freedom to pursue their passions.
In my spare time, I keep an allotment, cycle and wild water swim. I love travelling and working abroad, I’ve recently been part of a team researching turtles in Kefalonia Greece.
I am beyond excited about my new career with Physio & Therapies and looking forward very much to providing exceptional care to our patients.

Nicola Salter

I have lived in the Upper Calder Valley for over 40 years, I have 4 children all now over 17 and previously fitted my work and training in around school hours. I have a strong 20 year background in holistic therapy, special educational needs education, bereavement counselling and art facilitation.
I began my Podiatry training at Huddersfield University in 2020, Covid 19 had its grip on the world and as a degree student, I had to begin my podiatry training online. Two days a week I became a frontline worker with full PPI working hands-on with podiatry patients at the University of Huddersfield Foot Clinic. My second and third years were spent training in pharmacology, skin viability, wound care, rheumatoid arthritis, orthotics, gait analysis and the diabetic foot patient with plenty of clinical hours developing my general podiatric skills.
I chose to specialise in podiatry, to make a profound difference in people’s lives, allowing them to walk comfortably, run without pain, and regain the freedom to pursue their passions.
In my spare time, I keep an allotment, cycle and wild water swim. I love travelling and working abroad, I’ve recently been part of a team researching turtles in Kefalonia Greece.
I am beyond excited about my new career with Physio & Therapies and looking forward very much to providing exceptional care to our patients.

Chris Halliday

Trager & Sports Massage Therapist

Christopher Halliday studied acting in London before working for 12 years in circus, film and television. During this time he became actively interested in movement, bodies and what makes people tick.

Chris can offer a varied approach, using individual therapies or a combination of the most applicable to a person’s need, including touch and non touch methods.

He has studied and become qualified in: Remedial Massage and Manipulation, The Trager Approach and Somatic Movement Education.

Kate Herbert

Kate Herbert BSc(hons), PGCE, TECHS, Dip Vib Med

Working as a complementary health therapist since my first Reiki training 10 years ago, I got interested in massage and other therapies after 5 road traffic accidents where I was just sitting in the car; queuing in a jam or on a stop light; and other cars just ploughed into me. Deep tissue massage relieved the pain and healed me when nothing else seemed to work.

A biology lecturer for many years, my degree in science has helped me assess the therapies I use in a rational way. Seeing evidence of how they help people every day convinces me that they work. This scientific training also enhances and complements the therapies offered. I have good knowledge of anatomy and physiology, including the chakras and meridians and conventional western medicine.

You and I will agree the treatment plan using your preferred techniques – integrated in the best combination for you.

If you would like to discuss your health concerns and how they can be improved please call for a chat. I look forward to welcoming you and working with you to bring the zing back into your life

Nora Kasanicka

About Nora

Nora has trained with College of Craniosacral Therapy in Manchester. She graduated in the summer 2024; her training included extensive work with voluntary clients over the course duration of two years, which enabled her to gather experience of working with a varied set of clients and conditions.

Nora has been receiving craniosacral treatments for some 15 years and eventually felt the urge to study the art herself and be able to offer the goodness back to the world.

Nora is a joiner by her main profession and has worked in the valley as a self employed trader until quite recently, when she decided to take on an easier job at Calderdale College working with apprentices.

Nora has relied on craniosacral practice to keep her body and mind in order; to be able to deal with a physically and mentally demanding profession and running her own business and so is familiar with the benefits craniosacral therapy (CS) can have on both planes. Her first encounter with CS was after a pulled intercostal muscle and she was lucky enough to receive a years worth of treatments for free from Sam Lowi whilst Sam was doing her training. The mental health benefits soon became obvious and some chronic pains were resolved, alongside giving Nora the lived understanding of how the two were connected and how craniosacral therapy can be used to resolve long standing issues.

Nora still receives regular treatments from Sam.

Nora is hoping to develop her practice of working with varied set of clients, dealing with simple physical injuries to the more opaque art of boosting peoples’ wellbeing and the ever evolving work of supporting clients with neuro diverse brains.

Nora likes all things earthy such as good food, gardening, lying down and (obviously) Earth. Nora has an outlook of animism – belief that everything is alive and has agency and we are better off including all beings in our network.

About Craniosacral therapy

Craniosacral (CS) therapy is historically an offshoot of osteopathy. One of the founding figures of the craniosacral therapy argued that the gentler we are in our treatment of the body, the less reason is there is for the body to put up protective guard that can mean resistance to changes that are needed for healing.

Another central principle of CS therapy is always taking into account the whole system. We are not treating and injured ankle but the whole person. Again, this contributes to the process as the system as a whole is acknowledged and so it feels safe to undertake the changes needed. The system as a whole also gives us the information we need to understand the root causes of an issue which can often be distant from the obvious point of pain.

Craniosacral therapy is well known for its positive effects on difficult to heal injuries, work with new born babies and new mothers. CS therapy has a growing reputation as a great support tool for neurodiverse children or adults and their families. Clients also come with a wide variety of issues such as ear problems, issues of nerve origin, narrow palate, dental issues, tongue tie, RSI, chronic conditions to do with digestion or depleted energy levels. The list could really be endless as CS has great effect of calming down the nervous system and everything in our lives is connected to condition of our nervous system.

In a typical treatment we will have a chat at the beginning to check in how you are doing and then you will lie down on the couch. I would first spend a few moments doing bit of grounding with you and then progress onto doing various holds that are mostly placed on the head, along the spine and around sacrum. Some holds are over the face as well. The touch is always very gentle and everything is optional. For issues with limbs and neck a gentle unwinding might be done on the arms, legs or neck to release various stuck patterns than might show as tension, pain or reduced mobility. For clients who cannot lie down alternative arrangements can be made. It is also possible to work off the body if the client wishes so.

Lauren Kay

Counsellor and Reiki Practitioner
Lauren is a qualified counsellor with a Post Graduate Diploma and Masters Degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy, which she completed at The University of Manchester. Lauren is a registered member of the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) and she practices in accordance with their Ethics, Standards and Guidelines. She has over 5 years experience working as a counsellor in a number of different health care settings; GP surgery, disability centre and counselling organisations. She has worked with a diverse range of individuals aged between 16 and 80, all with different requirements and needs. Lauren has experience working in both brief/short term therapy and also long term private practice, dealing with issues such as depression, anxiety, bereavement, trauma, relationship issues and low self-worth. In her last role she worked on various counselling projects; supporting young people leaving the care system and employees of the local council suffering from personal issues or work stress.

She offers one to one counselling, in a non-judgemental and non-directive way, allowing clients to work at their own pace, to talk freely and be fully heard. She aims to provide a therapeutic relationship of warmth and understanding, creating a safe space for you to explore your emotional, mental and physical experiences. She seeks to help clients to identify how their issues are impacting upon their well being and the choices that are open to them. Through this, clients often find that they are more aware of their options, their feelings of powerlessness are reduced and positive changes are made.

She is an integrative therapist which means that she is able to use a range of different counselling approaches to support the needs of each individual; person centred, creative, cognitive behavioural, psychodynamic and more. Her work is mainly informed by the person centred approach to counselling which means that she uses her own experience and expertise to tailor the therapy to the client, not the client to the therapy. Her aim is to help you to achieve a greater self-awareness, make sense of your thoughts and emotions and find more effective ways to overcome difficulties.

Lauren is a qualified Reiki Practitioner who completed a First and Second Degree Reiki course in the Usui system of natural healing. Reiki sessions with Lauren can help to balance the energy systems in our body and promote overall health and wellbeing. Lauren has used Reiki channeling to help individuals experience emotional, physical, mental and spiritual healing through the power of touch. Lauren has found that through Reiki, individuals have reduced stress, enhanced relaxation and are able to release stagnant emotional energy lying in the body. Reiki sessions can be beneficial with or without counselling sessions, however Lauren would recommend a combination of both to promote overall health and wellbeing.

In Lauren’s spare time she enjoys walking through trails in the woods and being submerged in nature. She would describe herself as a creative and artistic person who loves to paint and create scrapbooks of memorable times in her life. She has recently been travelling in Canada, India and Thailand which involved volunteering with natural building projects and learning how to grow organic food. She is also a qualified Reiki practitioner who practices reiki, yoga and mindfulness as a way of promoting her overall wellbeing.

Lauren says “Seeking counselling takes a lot of courage as it acknowledges a desire for change. I assure you that you are not alone in this process, it is my calling is to support you every step of the way.“

Clare Whitworth

Counsellor

Clare gained her MA in Psychotherapy and Counselling from the University of Leeds, and is an accredited member of the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists). She works with adults, children and young people, in-person and online.

Clare has previously counselled with charities such as Mosaic II (working with sexual abuse) and alongside private practice currently works with TalkThru in the area of pregnancy loss and birth trauma, and the Brunswick Centre working with issues around gender and sexuality.

Clare works in various ways with clients, and you can read more about it here. Alongside talking therapy, when appropriate Clare uses creative methods to support her clients, including for example Lego, creative journaling, cards and images, drawing and writing. Use of these are guided by the client and what they feel they would find useful to help them express themselves.

Outside of work Clare is an avid cinema goer and is involved with supporting Hebden Bridge Picture House as part of their ‘Friends’. She also enjoys running and can be found at the Parkrun and out in the countryside round here.

Neil Fitzpatrick

Hypnotherapist

After leaving the education sector in order to take up new challenges, Neil retrained and qualified in Creative Hypnotherapy.

His career history has provided a unique perspective, particularly in the area of performance, issues of confidence and stage-fright. Neil is qualified to help address these and many of the other conditions perhaps more associated with hypnotherapy such as phobias, smoking and weight issues.

Neil enjoys working closely with people, assisting and enabling them to overcome their problems and to bring about permanent change through therapeutic hypnosis.

“Neil is wonderful at what he does. He is a compassionate and effective practitioner and a genuinely lovely guy. If you are having any doubts about doing this – don’t! Go ahead and do it, you’ll be so glad you did.” RH

Neil Fitzpatrick - Hypnotherapist
My life was ruled by Sugar and I craved it non stop, when I met with Neil he put me at my ease straight away, the Hypnosis he uses helps you get control of your life and I have been absolutely amazed at the results. P.D

Neil Fitzpatrick - Hypnotherapist
I found the sessions I had with Neil very helpful in dealing with anxiety and stress. He helped me form coping strategies through hypnotherapy in which I can use by myself to deal with anxiety, as well as providing relief in the sessions when I was going through a highly anxious period. I would recommend hypnotherapy for anyone going through anxiety or stress that may be affecting their daily life. S.P

Jay Hellings

Senior trainee Gestalt psychotherapist

Jay completed their fourth and final year of psychotherapy training at the Manchester Gestalt Centre in 2021. During their training, Jay took on counselling placements at Manchester Mind and LGBT Foundation. They have spent hundreds of hours working with people who sought help through those charities and will continue working with LGBT Foundation for the foreseeable future.

Some people are reluctant to come to counselling because they have been dealing with something painful and don’t feel ready to talk about it. Trained in Gestalt psychotherapy, Jay focuses on working with what’s happening here and now. There are often more things in our lives that will benefit from compassionate attention than we realise. Over time, those benefits can empower us and make it easier to deal with the bigger things that weigh on us.

Gestalt psychotherapy is focused on building awareness. Greater awareness gives us more choices about how we live our lives. These days, mindfulness and other types of meditation are very popular for increasing awareness, but they are usually solitary practices. In counselling and psychotherapy, we have the chance to learn more about how we relate to another person (the therapist) and to take that awareness and use it in the rest our life. By working with Jay, you’ll have a chance to be heard by someone who has no agenda about how you live, someone who wants to empower you to deal with whatever life sends your way.

Like all talking therapies, Gestalt psychotherapy works with thoughts and feelings. In Gestalt it is also possible to work with the breath and other physical awareness. Some of the ways we talk about the things that trouble us, for example feeling “weighed down” or “overstretched” or like we will “explode”, are often present in our physical sensations. We can sometimes learn from those feelings, especially when thinking takes us back to the same place again and again.

Here are some of the things that people have come to Jay for help with:

• Acting impulsively when stressful things happen
• Wanting to improve a friendship or other relationship that feels stuck
• Finding it hard to ask other people for support
• Having difficulty saying “No” to other people
• Feeling like life is getting away from you or as if you are living for other people rather than for yourself
• Often feeling like something awful will happen and not knowing why
• Finding little or no pleasure in the way you currently live your life

Lorraine Hogg

Naturopathic Nutrition Therapist

I’ve recently been invited to work at Physio and Therapies and I have to say it’s exciting to be seeing patients face to face again, after running my clinic predominantly online for the past few years.

I’m Lorraine and I’ll be working here in my role as Naturopathic Nutrition Therapist, Homeopath and qualified Teacher.

I love working with people to get their health on track with nutrition. It really is the foundation to all health and by uncovering any deficiencies and using dietary protocols, supplements and functional testing to identify underlying conditions. I teach my clients how to nourish their bodies at a cellular level to address many of the conditions that they are suffering. On average 80% of symptoms are from diet and lifestyle choices so changes are often very powerful .

I specialise in female hormonal health predominantly peri-menopause and I run a group course called Wild Body Wild Soul, which is a face to face group program where I will guide you week by week to support yourself through perimenopause and beyond. I also see clients who have other health conditions or who want to give themselves a health MOT and overhaul to maintain the best health possible.

To help my clients and anyone else who wants a more hands on approach to their nutrition education I run lunch and learn sessions monthly, where you can join me while I make your lunch with others who are also interested in learning more about how food can be used as medicine in the most delicious way ever!

I run monthly Plant based reset cleanses where I make all of your food and deliver daily to your doorstep for 5 days, the results are always great and give my clients the opportunity to feel really good in just a few days. They will often come to see me as a private patient to really get their health and habits back on track.

I facilitate popular healing retreats, courses and workshops in the North of England predominantly in Todmorden and Yorkshire where I am based.