The Solihull Natural Health Group was founded in 1981 by Ann Harper SRN and Christine Jones, Chartered Physiotherapist. At that time, natural therapies were treated with suspicion. Ann and Christine were conscious that care and consideration were necessary in dealing with them [homoeopathy, acupunture, reflextherapy, herbal remedies and others]. They wanted to work alongside rather than against th
e more orthodox views and shaped the programme accordingly. This approach has been proven to be right because many therapies have now been accepted and absorbed into mainstream health.
They organised a series of talks under the heading "We are what we eat and we become what we think". These talks looked at topics such as how the body works, dietary needs, cooking healthy foods, lifestyles to cope with the mental and physical stresses of present day living, and thoughts on how to plan for the future. They ran no less than 10 of these courses and, over the years, added seminars, workshops and lectures on specific subjects.
Speakers have included well known names such as Dr Gordon Latto, Medical Practioner, Naturopath and President of the International Vegetarian Society, Patrick Holford, co-founder with Linus Pauling of the Institute for Optimal Nutrition, Robert Holden, author of "Laughter is the Best Medicine", Jack Temple, Dowser and Healer and Peter Dawkins, Philosopher, Author and Director of The Francis Bacon Research Trust and Dr David R. Hamilton, Hay House Author and Inspirational Speaker. The group has also run courses on astrology and held regular meditation evenings, not forgetting occasional visits to herb gardens and to the crop and stone circles at Avebury.
Sadly, our Founder, Ann Harper, made her transition on 6th April 2020, soon after lockdown. Ann had stepped down from her place on the committee and the group is now led jointly by Jacqui Mexson and Paul Cooper, together with a dedicated committee. We could never have foreseen that we would be unable to continue our talks for an 18 month period. However, as from 21st September 2021 we are back in action.
We are a lively and friendly group and still very much a going concern, though perhaps with a subtle change in approach. Despite the fact that so much information is now available via all avenues of the media, people of like mind still want to meet on a regular basis to share ideas and extend their knowledge. We meet in the Solihull Methodist Church at 7.30pm on the third Tuesday of each month (excepting the months of March, July and December). We also hold a small meditation group in a member’s home on the first Tuesday of each month.
