Tracey Lindsay, a Clinical Aromatherapist from Oughterside near Aspatria, celebrates the first anniversary of her business Manor Barn Organics on the 2nd September with the launch of a new product.
Like most start-up businesses the first few years getting off the ground can be demanding and a huge learning curve, but throw in a global pandemic and they become even more testing.
However, Tracey is no stranger to the challenges of industry, having worked in construction, facilities management and health and safety including five years at Buckingham Palace, seven years at Kew Gardens and three years in Qatar where she ran audits on the living conditions of migrant workers, building stadiums for the 2022 World Cup.
When Tracey came back to the UK with her husband Paul, they decided to relocate to Cumbria, as this is where Paul is originally from. Tracey had always dreamt of running her own business and as she was approaching fifty, decided it was now or never.
Tracey is passionate about helping people; particularly those with mental health problems, depression, stress and anxiety, which she had experienced first-hand. Therefore, she spent two years training with Neal’s Yard as a clinical aromatherapist and now holds an accredited diploma in Aromatherapy and Essential Oil Science. She is also a Full Member of the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists, an Associate Member of the International Federation of Aromatherapists and is registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council.
Since starting Manor Barn Organics, Tracey has run some popular workshops with local groups, which centre around aromatherapy and wellness. She also offers aromatherapy massage treatments to clients and a range of natural, organic aromatherapy products that are hand made in small batches by Tracey herself.
The product range includes inhaler sticks, which can help with an array of issues such as stress, overwhelm, anxiety, and insomnia. During lockdown she also developed an organic moisturising anti-bacterial Hand Cleanser.
To celebrate her first year in business Tracey has launched a collection of luxury organic Bath Salts in a choice of aromas – Lavender, Lavender and Sweet Orange and Lavender, Rose and Geranium. The blends Tracey has used have been formulated for their therapeutic properties rather than just for their scent to really help people.
Tracey said: “I firmly believe that our natural, organic products made with essential oils and the Manor Barn Organics aromatherapy experience we provide through workshops and treatments, can be a powerful ingredient in people’s journey to good health. I am passionate about combining mental health with skincare – to uplift the spirit whilst caring for the body/face and ritualising skin care into self-care, which is so important especially after being in lockdown for so long.”
Year one of business has certainly been a challenge for Tracey, unable to offer workshops and treatments since March, but sales continue to grow on the website and she hopes to build on this even further, selling her products to consumers and in retail outlets all over the UK.
Tracey added: “The last few months have been really difficult for all business owners. I feel like someone pressed a big pause button and I’ve been chomping at the bit to get going again. I am so excited to launch the range of bath salts and see how the blends I’ve created can help even more people. Unfortunately I’m not able to start my treatments and workshops at the moment, but it’s giving me lots of time to develop the product range and I’m so excited to see where the business will go in the next 12-18 months.”
The Manor Barn Organics website can be found at www.manorbarnorganics.com