From the trauma of losing her family business, Amanda Townend has found her true vocation – and a strong desire to help others, as Fiona Stubbs discovers.
TO be a homeopath is like being a detective,” muses Amanda Townend, as she introduces her new practice in Chesterfield. “People often think a health issue has happened out of the blue but, generally, it hasn’t. Homeopathy teaches you to really listen to your patients and understand how they’ve got to where they are. Chronic conditions can hold us back in life. Helping restore health to patients is very rewarding and something I am experiencing on a regular basis.”
Amanda’s own journey to her practice, based at the Therapy & Lifestyle Clinic at Ashgate Manor, has been a long and transformative process.
While she has been an advocate of homeopathy – an alternative medicine system – for many years, the creation of her own practice followed a devastating period during which her family’s food production business went into liquidation.
The experience led Amanda to reassess her life and to establish her homeopathy practice with a renewed social conscience.
She began a four-year training course through the North West College of Homeopathy in Stockport during Covid-19 lockdown. Initially, it was part of a long-term exit strategy from the business, Ananda Foods, she ran for 15 years with her husband, Russell.
But a combination of external factors forced a change of plan.
Initially a photographer, specialising in weddings and parties, Amanda gave up her career to raise her three children which, in turn, led to the creation of Ananda Foods.
“I was a mad baker,” recalls Amanda. “A couple of other mums said I should start a cake business but I didn’t think that was a good idea.
“We’re a vegetarian family and, one Bonfire Night, I was looking to buy some vegan marshmallows to toast – but ended up having to source them from Canada.
“We were living in Sheffield at the time and our local health food shop – Zeds Wholefoods Ltd in Nether Edge – said they were always looking for vegan marshmallows, so I started making them – progressing to vegan wagon wheels.
“We baked our own chocolate biscuits, made the marshmallow filling and, wanting to work with other artisan producers, bought jam from Crewe-based Mrs Darlington’s. The business supported our family for 15 years.”
Moves to Dronfield and Chesterfield followed for the family – while Ananda Foods operated from a production unit in the grounds of Gunstones Bakery in Dronfield.
“We sold across the UK and in Europe, helped by the growth of the vegan movement throughout the 2010s”
“We sold across the UK and in Europe, helped by the growth of the vegan movement throughout the 2010s and the luxury treats market,” says Amanda. “We’d travel around the country to fairs and events. I really loved what we were doing.”
But a series of events including Brexit, the introduction of the UK sugar tax in 2018 and the cost of living crisis caused irreparable damage.
“When Brexit was implemented, we were having European consignments held at customs for about three months,” explains Amanda. “They kept changing the paperwork and the rules on what we had to submit and [European] customers eventually just gave up.
“We used to supply to Selfridges but, due to the sugar tax, they had to limit the space where they could display sweet products and we lost out to their bigger brands.”
The Covid-19 pandemic brought some respite in the domestic market: “To begin with, people were shopping online a lot,” recalls Amanda. “We started to do limited edition wagon wheels and gift boxes which were very popular.
“However, when lockdown lifted, we noticed that sales of everything went down. Even at events, people were holding on to their money.”
The cost of living crisis was the final straw: “As gas and electric prices rose, so did the cost of every single aspect of our lives. The price of chocolate rocketed.
“But people’s wages just haven’t matched these increases and independent businesses really suffer. We witnessed many businesses closing before we did. Even some high street chains succumbed.”
Ananda Foods went into voluntary liquidation in September 2023 – with Amanda one year away from the end of her homeopathy studies.
“The plan had been for me to graduate before, ideally, selling the business,” says Amanda. “I still had a year of my course to complete, but it gave me time to focus on my training – trying to study and run a business was really hard.”
She adds: “I’d first used homeopathy when I was expecting my first child and, later, I used to take my children to a homeopathy clinic. I read books on the subject and was confident using and administering some treatments myself.
“Something about lockdown made me think I needed to qualify as a homeopath – and I’m really glad I did. It’s a vocation.
“It can be massively effective as my husband discovered after rock climbing falls affected his back and a really high-strength arnica treatment from a homeopath transformed a problem which doctors said could only be helped by major surgery.
“Homeopathy can be used to treat physical, mental and emotional health – it can help conditions from digestive issues to migraines, fertility issues to menopause, ADHD to OCD.
“I’m really interested in working with families. I’m already seeing some amazing progress in children struggling with conditions such as autism. I have just received a very moving testimonial from a parent I have been working with. In just five months, we have seen, not just a reduction, but a cessation of regular meltdowns that her daughter had experienced and a move from sleeping in her parents’ bed to being happily back in her own bed.
“I have been criticised for suggesting that autism can be treated with homeopathy, but the results speak for themselves. Autistic patients experience heightened responses and it is these responses that I focus on reducing.”
She adds: “There’s been an explosion of chemical applications in everything – from food to our surroundings. And we are now living in an age of chronic disease. Other cultures embrace homeopathy for treating conditions or ameliorating symptoms. In the UK it’s basically for anyone who can’t find relief from conventional means.”
In her new practice, Amanda has a sliding scale fee for homeopathy based on what people can afford to pay.
Her pricing policy is partly influenced by the financially difficult year she experienced between the end of her food business and qualifying as a homeopath.
“What happened to our food business has, ultimately, liberated me, giving me time to reflect on my life and what I want to do now – what can I give?” she explains.
Amanda adds: “I’m 50 now and have so much life experience … I have three children, I’ve been married for 25 years, I’ve run a business through which I’ve met all kinds of people from all walks of life. Everything we have to offer is enriched by our life experience.
“I genuinely want to make a difference to people’s lives and to establish a community of like-minded people, looking to live healthier, more joyful lives.”
Editor’s note: Find out more at www.derbyshirehomeopath.co.uk
What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy was created in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann.
It takes into account your current health condition, your medical history, significant life events and your family medical history.
Homeopathic remedies are made from natural substances such as plants and minerals – believed to trigger the body’s natural defences.
When treating patients, homeopaths ask questions about the patient’s mental, emotional and physical health – and tailor treatment accordingly.