A Northeastern businesswoman has continued to stress the importance of foot health in children throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lisa Durward has always had a passion for raising awareness about the importance of properly adapting shoes to children for a child’s overall health and development.

Despite facing several hurdles over the past year, the two-person mother continues to work hard to spread the knowledge by connecting to the NHS through local health visitors.

He also intends to visit schools and daycares to educate the children themselves to take care of their feet once restrictions allow. And it encourages parents to professionally measure their children’s feet as soon as possible.

Lisa is the founder of Bob and Lulu, a shoe, gift and clothing store based in Aberdeen’s West End.

And it has shown its support for the North East Now initiative of the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, with the support of creative agency Hampton and Aberdeen Journals, as it also aims to promote local businesses fighting the Covid- pandemic. 19.

“We are proud to do more than sell shoes and clothes,” he said. “We offer a health service for children’s feet.

“I am very committed to educating my clients and the general public about the health of children’s feet: it is a vital component for the future health of the foot as adults.

“It seems to me that too much emphasis is placed on the‘ size ’of the shoe when in fact there are so many other factors to consider, including width, material and brand.

“My team and I are consistent, experienced and knowledgeable. We know our brands and we can only see a child’s foot which brand will best suit their foot shape.

“I am passionate about giving new life to tailor-made and appropriate trade. As a father of two young children, I know we all place great emphasis on the health and well-being of our children, from what they eat to the time they spend on technology.

“The health of our children’s feet plays such an important role in their general health and their daily physical comfort.

“The right fit shoes will benefit the development of our little people by supporting growing bones and changing the shape of the foot. Healthy feet can affect everything from good posture to the strength of your ankle, knee and hip.

“I hope the footwear of the shoes is perceived as even more valuable after being so closed without having access to that kind of service.

Bob and Lulu are based on Ashley Road in Aberdeen

“I always say ‘your feet are your pension’: watch over your feet and they will watch over you.”

Lisa launched Bob and Lulu in 2017 after taking over the business from its previous owners and changing the brand.

He has spent a great deal of time diversifying his services over the past year, including offering an outdoor shoe assembly service.

Lisa said, “I was really looking forward to the store experiencing a renaissance, so I started a rebranding mission to give it a fresh, modern look and changed the name to Bob and Lulu.

“The store is named after my great dog Bob and his best friend Lulu, whose owner is also one of my best friends and has been a great help and supporter of me and my business.

“I diversified by introducing a wide range of clothes for babies and children so that my customers could visit the boutique to get a complete dress for their little ones.

“I also had to diversify from the coronavirus outbreak. First, my team and I knew we needed to focus more on our online service, so we increased the range of shoes on our website.

“We had to accept very soon that it was the only way to continue negotiating throughout the closure. But in the end, our mission is to see the children in person and to measure them physically, so we had to be creative.

The store has a consistent, experienced and knowledgeable team

“During the first blockade in March 2020, Bob and Lulu started a delivery service.

“We would bring shoes to our customers’ doors and have the children try on the shoes at a safe distance of two meters and give advice from afar.

“As a team we were there to reassure parents and offer the best possible service despite the difficult circumstances.

“We also have kids who come to see us who may have orthoses or have hypermobility and who need specialized service, so it was important that we continue to work for those kids who need extra foot support.”

As companies begin to open their doors to the public, Lisa urges people in the Northeast to do what they can to support their local communities.

Lisa said: “North East Now is a great platform for small businesses like ours to showcase what we offer.

“It’s great to see North East Now advocating companies across the city and beyond and Bob and Lulu are thrilled to be featured alongside other local companies as we have received customers in our stores.

“As we all know, retail stores, including major stores, have been affected recently and the same can be said locally in Aberdeen.

“With the loss of these large stores amidst a constantly changing street landscape, shopping habits have changed and consumers enjoy the ease of ordering everything they need at the click of a button from the comfort of your home.

“However, for Bob and Lulu, we are more than just a store. We represent the true essence of the local store.

“We love being part of a family’s journey from seeing their young children take these first temporary steps until they enter school on the first day: school shoes, especially for the first day of school, are a important milestone and we feel honored to play a role in creating these precious memories.

“Our shop is located across from Ashley Road Elementary School, which is so nice as we often have kids stop and tap the window to signal us and send us pictures of what they have drawn from their first day of school. It is very nice to be part of a community.

“The‘ local store ’movement is fantastic, but it’s not enough to just talk about local stores or make the label‘ local store ’on our social media platforms.

“In fact, we have to physically buy in the area. We need our customers to come back: we need their physical presence in our stores to help us get them working again.

“I understand that some people are wary of buying safely, but when they see the measures that are put in place to ensure that it can be bought again safely, we can offer that comfort and confidence.

Lisa plans to start visiting schools and daycares to educate children about caring for their feet

“It’s time to regain the personal touch of the shopping experience.

“In the future, my goal is to continue to spread the educational importance of children’s foot health.”

For more information about Bob and Lulu, visit www.bobandlulu.com

To learn more about the North East Now initiative, visit northestnow.scot

To share your positive business story, email stories@northeastnow.scot