Rehab Hub is an injury clinic and sports performance centre in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. Led by Georgie Mai – Clinic Director & Owner – the purpose-built facility is home to a multidisciplinary team of rehab and fitness experts. Care, professionalism, and enthusiasm are at the centre of the clinic’s approach as they deliver personalised treatment with a strong focus on building strength through active movement and taking people away from pain. From professional and amateur athletes to the wider public, the Rehab Hub’s experienced practitioners help people of all ages – and with varied challenges – to live happy, healthy, and pain-free lives.

What challenge did Rehab Hub face? 

Rehab Hub faced huge challenges during the pandemic. Like many businesses, they had to close their doors during the initial lockdown and further restrictions meant some practitioners were unable to work even when rules eased. With many patients also choosing to stay away due to concerns about Covid-19, Georgie was keen to embrace funding and business support opportunities that would help Rehab Hub to thrive through the pandemic and beyond.  

How did SEMLEP provide support? 

During the pandemic, Georgie kept her ear to the ground for any available business support. She found out about SEMLEP following a newsletter signup and – although she hadn’t heard about them or the LEP network before – she recognised this could be a significant opportunity for the Rehab Hub to access business advice and funding.

The Rehab Hub successfully applied for and received a £3000 Additional Restrictions Grant, using this money to pay for several months of intense social media support. SEMLEP also put the business in touch with the University of Bedfordshire for an appraisal of their overall marketing strategy and provided access to leadership training for Georgie and her lead practitioner. But the process all started with an in-depth conversation with SEMLEP business advisor Kelly Bowman. Georgie describes her as “really warm and helpful right from the beginning”.

“She came out and saw me and I couldn’t believe quite how helpful our session was … she invited me to verbalise what my difficulties were, what my fears were, what my challenges were, I went over all my pain points in the business. And then, with her knowledge, she was able to say, okay, we might be able to match this service or this partner with this problem … It was really cathartic because it was the first opportunity after the lockdowns where I was able to put my hand up and say, ‘help us’.”

This dedicated support translated into tangible results. The social media investment Rehab Hub received has been vital to increasing the business’s client base. Georgie explains:

“We don’t take NHS patients. And so, self-funding patients seek us out via social media – that’s where people hang out and that has risen as a result of the pandemic. People are hanging out in groups on Facebook and scrolling through Instagram. We recognise that’s where we need to talk to people.”

After four months of concerted social media support, Rehab Hub is already enjoying impressive results, with an increase of approximately 15 new patients a month. Georgie reports that the investment has given the team the confidence to put themselves and their services out there, saying they are now “a well-oiled machine” when it comes to social content. The marketing appraisal is also underway, with the leadership training due to start soon. 

Reflecting on her SEMLEP experience, Georgie says the process has given her “much more confidence” about becoming the “go-to injury clinic in the local area”, explaining she is already shouting about SEMLEP services in healthcare business groups:

“I think SEMLEP is great and more people need to know about it! I’ve already shared SEMLEP’s information with so many other clinic owners in my network of forums.”