When rugby player Leon Welch dislocated his knee in a match, it was the end of his playing career.

The cloud, though, had a silver lining as Leon realised the power of the manual therapies that helped him in the healing process.

He never played rugby again, but did recover well and the experience opened new doors for him.

“Whenever I was rehabilitating from injury I was impressed with the effects of sports massage and how well It helped me recover.”

And now Leon has launched his own therapy and massage business to bring the benefits to his clients in the Swansea area.

Leon Welch Massage Therapy takes a holistic approach. “I am a qualified soft tissue therapist, specialising in sports and deep tissue massage and this is currently the heart of the business.”

But he had always planned to expand his services to personal training, nutrition and to offer an all around approach to improving the well-being of his clients.

“The business is going very well and is growing steadily. I now have a diverse client base in the Swansea area,” he said.

He operates primarily from his clinic located in the Swansea area but also offers mobile massage treatments within clients’ workplaces and homes.

The business received a £700 grant from the Business Start Up scheme operated jointly by Swansea Council and Tata Steel subsidiary UK Steel Enterprise.

“The grant support was very helpful indeed,” said Leon. “I used it to buy the portable bed and other equipment, and it was a great help when I was starting out.”

Leon, who is from Swansea, obtained a degree in Sports Management. He is keen on martial arts and is proud sponsor of SARU Ju- jitsu academy.

Glyn Thomas of UK Steel Enterprise said: “We are delighted to have been able to give this support to Leon to get the business up and running, and pleased to see that he is doing well.”

Lee Wyndham of Swansea Council added: “This local business is another great example of why the Start-up grant was put in place, designed to give new businesses in Swansea a helping hand when developing their products and services.”

“We’re very much looking forward to following Leon’s journey as the business continues to grow.”

Photo Caption: Healing hands: from left Lee Wyndham Swansea Council, Leon Welch and Glyn Thomas UK Steel Enterprise.