Isobel Hamid has had over 50 years of experience of setting up, owning and running successful businesses. All of these ventures are still operating, in various formats, in world-wide locations, although Isobel has only advisory links with them now

Her personally owned businesses have almost all been in the area of education and training, specialising in the secretarial, clerical, administrative, computing and teacher training fields. She worked as a consultant to large organisations, mounting courses, seminars and summer schools and specialising in staff development programmes.

In addition, she was employed by three renowned major organisations – Heinemann Educational Books (three years as their National Organiser for Teeline Shorthand), The Pitman Organisation at their flagship college in London where she ran a teacher training programme for four years for the Nigerian Government, and International House where she set up and, for five years, ran an autonomous training unit at the International Language Institute in Sahafayeen, Cairo, Egypt. After gaining a Master’s Degree in Education, followed by two years as a lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire (then known as the Lancashire Polytechnic), Isobel opened a prestige college in Lancaster, embracing all the latest computer technology and mounting Government-sponsored training programmes, as well as providing customised courses for private companies. She continued her teaching career as a part-time tutor in the Management School of Lancaster University for ten years, where she taught in the Business Development Unit on undergraduate courses for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development, demonstrating that she practised what she preached!

In September 1995, selling the college to another training provider, she decided to ‘retire’. This was exceedingly short-lived! Retirement was wonderful for three weeks. Curious circumstances pulled her towards healing, massage and remedial treatments as a freelance practitioner, and the millennium year saw the launch of Healing Hands, with a ‘bank’ of dedicated professionals wishing to be associated with the project. Highly trained and experienced in her second career, Isobel is now on the government's register of skilled Physiotherapy Practitioners.

This is a woman of drive and determination with the power to inspire other people to share her vision. Her track record of proven successes spread over 50 years makes interesting reading.

Retire? Never!