A hearing centre is taking on a second premises as it overcomes the challenges of coronavirus social-distancing and protects jobs.

Ridgways Hearing Care has solved the search for new space and are set to open a second base at Station Buildings, Station Road, Endon, on 1 July.

For business owner and audiologist Alison Ridgway, an Endon resident, it will be a return to her business roots.

Alison  said: “I left the NHS and began trading in Endon in 1999 from a small office above the chemists in Station Road. We then moved to the station buildings and that’s the same premises as we are now reopening. Back then, my business was called the Endon Hearing Centre, I sold that business to a national chain in 2008 and set up Ridgway Hearing Care, in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

“Around three years ago, we found our present home in Marsh Parade. The premises are larger and this allowed me to expand and take on more clients, however, we are now entering a new era where we will need even more space to observe social-distancing rules,” explained Alison.

“Like all businesses we have been hit hard by the current pandemic. We closed our premises completely when the lockdown was announced and I gave advice over the phone, but we opened in a limited fashion at the beginning of May to offer services to patients in urgent need of hearing support.

“As the country emerges from lockdown we now face the challenge of how to operate successfully within social-distancing restrictions. As a business owner, I also wanted to give a commitment to my staff who had been furloughed. Taking on the Endon office allows us to do this and also gives us another space in which to see customers.”

Ridgways Hearing Care employs eight-staff, and offers a full service including ear wax removal, full hearing assessments and the sale and fitting of hearing aids.

Alison added: “I have worked in audiology for more than 30 years and things have changed as technology has improved. Hearing aids are now hi-tech devices that can be controlled from your phone. They are comfortable to wear and so tiny that they are hardly noticeable. We now have models which will take your temperature and alert a relative if, for example, you have a fall. People are benefitting greatly and we can now solve almost any hearing problem.”

ENDS

To find out more about Ridgways Hearing Care, please go online to www.ridgwayshearingcare.com. 

For media enquiries contact Nigel Howle by phone on 0776 2043436 or email [email protected]​.