Hope’s Therapy Dogs, based in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire, is an incredible service which supports children, young people and adults with therapy dogs, to help aid mental health and improve emotional and mental wellbeing.
The family business has grown significantly over the past 3 years since their establishment in 2021, and are fully booked for the near future, with income quadrupling in the past 2 years.
With help from Boost, the business is looking at a recruitment drive across the North West, aiming to increase the team by five-six additional therapists by the beginning of 2025. This will allow them to increase the number of schools they work with, as well as expand into supporting the NHS.
Boost is Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub and is led by Lancashire County Council. It has received £2.6m from the UK Government for its current programme of business support through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund contributions of ten local authorities in Lancashire, in addition to funds from Lancashire County Council and the Department for Business and Trade.
Alison received several one-to-one sessions with Boost Growth Catalyst business adviser Matthew Sheppard, who helped her create a Vision Orbit plan, which is a financial tool that demonstrates the journey towards reaching her three-year growth targets. They then worked on the next steps of her growth plan, including creating a register of training dates which will ensure all training requirements are met.
Following the assistance from Boost’s Growth Catalyst service, Alison now has a clear and structured growth plan which will help her expand her service across the North West, establish central training schools, and appoint local area managers to oversee the programme. Additionally, though this connection with Boost, Alison has joined the Strategic Management Programme at Edge Hill University to build on her plans to develop dog therapy training programmes.
Good luck to Hope’s Therapy Dogs as they embark on this new chapter! If you would like to read more about the services Boost provide and how you can access support, please click the button below:
