Wellspring Centre of Health and Healing

Welcome to WELLSPRING, Ipswich’s first Centre of Health and Healing, offering an extensive range of complementary therapies

WELLSPRING – the name

A name for the centre was sought with a ‘water’ and ‘health’ aspect. The centre is in Lower ‘Brook’ Street and leads down to the ‘Waterfront’ from Ipswich town centre.

Water is essential for life itself and it maintains a healthy body. A ‘well’ is a deep source of water and also means 'in good health'. A ‘spring’ is a source of water rising from the ground and the beginning of a flow of water that can spread outwards to reach many people.

Wellspring provides health and healing to those in Ipswich and the surrounding area of Suffolk and East Anglia.

WELLSPRING – the source

Desiree Shelley, Medical Herbalist, conceived the idea of the centre along with her friend and colleague Penny Rush, Reflexologist. Both were working at a centre in Cambridge that closed in the summer of 2004 and they set out to look for a centre to continue their therapies in the Ipswich area.

As there was no complementary therapy centre to accommodate them they decided to set up their own. The Lower Brook Street premises were found after a search of different properties and a fortuitous meeting with the landlord.

Although the property had been empty for several years and was in need of refurbishment, both Des and Penny could see the potential of the building which met their criteria. After a total revamp the centre was in perfect condition to open on July 18th 2005.

WELLSPRING – the ethos

All the therapists at Wellspring are committed to offering health and healing to their clients. We all work together for the benefit of the client and never work in competition with each other.

Each therapist holds a nationally recognised qualification in their area of expertise and are members of a professional organisation that oversees their programme of continuing professional development.

Potential clients are welcome to talk with their chosen therapist on the telephone or for a short informal consultation at Wellspring. We believe that it is important to feel comfortable with the therapist to gain most benefit from the therapy. We are also able to offer some taster therapies to try before you commit. The more you know about your chosen therapy the more effective it will be.

WELLSPRING - the venue

All visitors to Wellspring are asked to use the side entrance, where there is a ramp for disabled/wheelchair access. There is one consultation room on the ground floor, with an adjustable couch, for clients who cannot manage the stairs. There are eight steps up to the first landing toilet, with grab rails on either side of the steps. There are no toilet facilities on the ground floor.

The first floor offers three consulting/therapy rooms. One of these is dedicated to talking therapies such as counselling, hypnotherapy or nutritional therapy, and is equipped with a comfortable reclining chair. A second room is for massage and reflexology therapies and a third for herbal medicine, complete with a well stocked dispensary..

The second floor is a large bright room that is used for many different therapies. It also lends itself as a venue for meetings, workshops, seminars or celebrations.

There is a car park space beside the building that is available for clients. There is also on-road parking for those with a disabled parking permit. There are car parks nearby in Foundation Street, Cox Lane and the Buttermarket or at the Waterfront. The Park and Ride buses stop in Dogs Head Street (at the top of Lower Brook Street), and also in Upper Brook Street. The countywide bus station is in Turret Lane, which runs parallel to Lower Brook Street.

WELLSPRING - the vision

We see the centre as a tranquil haven where people come to replenish their energies, seek solutions to their physical or emotional problems, or maintain their good health. It is like the first drop of water in a still pool that radiates ripples of wellbeing from the centre out to an ever increasing circumference.

WELLSPRING - the future

There are many paths open to us all as we travel through life. As a building, Wellspring stands firm in Lower Brook Street, offering health and healing to all who take the path to our door.

When clients leave they take our principles of caring and kindness into the outside world and so the ripples of our vision extends to others.

In the future it is hoped that we will work closer, in an integrated way, with our NHS colleagues and that we will take our mission of health and healing to wherever we are led.

DISCLAIMER

The contents of the Wellspring website are for information only and not intended as a substitute for consultation with a qualified practitioner. If you have specific health concerns you are encouraged to seek individual advice – please phone or email for further information and an appointment with the appropriate practitioner.