Bedhampton masseuse aims to build a home for young boy and his family in Tanzania

Roxanne Van Niekerk, who runs a massage service, works closely with Hope and Soul, a UK registered charity which supports vulnerable children in Tanzania. As the owner of Roxanne’s Massage Service, she donates 10 per cent of all her sales to supporting the work of Hope and Soul, and has helped fund several other projects run by the charity. Having raised more than £650 so far, she is now aiming to raise the last £300 needed to complete the house building project giving the young boy and his family a home. The masseuse, who has run her business since March 2018, said: ‘In the past, I’ve supported two business set-ups - a pastry business, and a fish distribution business - and paid the school fees for a term for a little girl called Lily.’ When Roxanne has raised the remaining funds for the house building project - her fourth such project with Hope and Soul - she will then focus on making enough sales to raise money for a year’s rent for a family of five being supported by the charity. She said: ‘They are all in one room at the moment and are wanting to move to a two bedroom place.’ Hope and Soul was founded by Hope Prosser, who is from Cowplain. The two women, who both have backgrounds in nursing, met each other when they attended the New Life Church in Emsworth. Roxanne said: ‘About two to three years ago, I asked Hope if I could start sponsoring the charity. Now she sends projects for me to support. ‘I like that you can actually see where the money’s going to - I get regular picture updates.’ Lockdown presented many challenges for Roxanne, who had to adapt her skills for a digital audience. When the furlough scheme was introduced, she was unable to apply for support and worried that she would not be able to raise the necessary funds to support Hope and Soul. However, she developed new products to sell, and hopes that her community continues to support her as a local business, so that she can carry on raising funds for the charity. Roxanne developed a virtual massage package offering one-to-one remote support and step by step tailored guidance to help those experiencing issues with their muscles, in some cases due to increased time working from home. She said: ‘I recognised the stress lockdown has caused people and so wanted to make a difference whilst massage was not physically allowed. ‘The virtual massage package allowed this and has prevented the need for medical intervention and stress relief as the care for muscles has been brought to people where they are. ‘I really care about the long term for people’s bodies and muscles and love seeing these changes even when lockdown has stopped hands on massage.’ Roxanne - who is hoping to be able to reopen her business on April 12 - also sells magnesium and health related products, electronic massagers, pamper bags, kids activity packs, and Usborne books. She said: ‘With Easter coming up, I’ll also be making some Easter packs.’ Find out more about Hope and Soul by visiting the website, or visit Roxanne’s Massage Service Facebook page.