Think of Ryecotewood College and you tend to conjure up images of furniture designers and agricultural students.

But the Thame college is striking out into a whole new area - holistic healing. There are courses on reflexology, reincarnation, Tibetan pulsing, Feng Shui and meditation. There's even a workshop on using crystals.

The dedicated centre came about as a direct need for people to have somewhere to learn more about the ancient therapies which are fast becoming more popular in today's high-tech, stressful pace of life.

Based in a building which was once administration offices, former hairdresser Sue Radwell has created a place which is as attractive as a honey pot is to bees - both for the students and the clients who use it.

The Ryecotewood College Holistic Centre opened last August and its first intake of students studying for professional qualifications in complementary and alternative therapies are just about to take their exams.

"The centre has gone beyond my expectations, even in this short space of time," said Sue, 41, who is the centre's co-ordinator.

Her job is to monitor the intake of students and help the centre to grow so it offers professional training on a wide range of courses, for as many people who want to use it.

"We've had hundreds of students enrol and the drop-out figure is practically nil. It's open access and the students can come in the evenings, or perhaps for one day a week or at weekends, so it's ideal for anyone with a full-time job," she said.

Its popularity for students is matched by the number of clients who visit for treatments. Whether they're stressed businessmen and women, staff at the college or simply local people who want a cut-price massage, there's never a shortage of people who want to try out the different treatments the centre offers. The atmosphere inside the centre is very inviting. It has a calm aura and smells divine, thanks to the many aromatherapy oils used.the students use.

Sue, who has been teaching and working in colleges for many years, is delighted that the centre has taken off.

"It's been a real challenge but it's been fun and stim- ulating too. There can't be many people who really look forward to going to work every morning but I do.

"I never have trouble getting staff because everyone says it's such a nice place to work. Setting up this sort of centre has always been a dream of mine and I'm thrilled that my dream has become a reality.""

The centre has been awarded membership of the CMA, the Complementary Therapy Association, and teaches courses to ITEC standards.

Sue said: "The students themselves all say they get a lot out of the courses and the clients do too. It's a bit like helping people to help themselves.

"We're helping people who are interested in alternative therapies to train and perhaps go on to work in their chosen field and we're helping people who are stressed, worried, or have a physical problem they believe can be helped by an alternative therapy." said Sue.

FEEL BETTER

Treatments at the centre such as reflexology and massage cost £5 and must be booked in advance. The treatments are given by students, under the supervision of a tutor.

A series of one-day courses, for anyone interested, are taking place throughout the summer. Courses cost from £35 and include topics such as natural medicine for women (July 6), Alexander Technique (July 11 and July 18) and how our emotions affect our diet (July 12).

READING UP

Interested in alternative medicine? An valuable, unbiased and easy-to-read A-Z guide to complementary therapy is being published on July 12.

Written by TV's Dr Hilary Jones, the book contains a is a must-have for anyone who wants a reliable overview on the most popular alternative treatments. It's called Doctor, What's the Alternative?, it costs £9.99, and is published by Hodder & Stoughton.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.