WHEN four Yorkshire women try to set a new record by rowing unaided across the Atlantic next year, a York nutritional therapist will be helping them on their way.

Sally Duffin has been selected by Yorkshire Rows as a member of their land crew, providing nutritional advice to the team in the 2015 Talisker Whiskey Challenge.

She said she founded ‘Nutrition in York’ in 2009 after achieving a Diploma in Nutritional Medicine from Thames Valley University, followed by a BSc.

"The mission of Nutrition in York is to guide and empower people through diet, supplement and lifestyle changes to optimise their health and wellbeing," she said.

"The business has grown consistently over the past five years. Client numbers have gone from 1-2 per month to 8-10 per month, online presence has grown with a lively Facebook page and Twitter account and my website now offers a wealth of free resources for nutrition advice.

"There is vast potential for growth in my business as people are becoming increasingly aware of the value of preventative healthcare. It is now estimated that 64 per cent of the UK population are overweight or obese and this is linked with a dramatic rise in chronic illnesses related to diet and lifestyle factors such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Sally, who has entered the small business of the year category, said future plans for her business over the next three years included creating corporate presentations and workshops to help employers meet their requirements for maintaining staff health and welfare. She also plans to publish her first book, which has a current working title of “The Essential Guide to Running a Thriving Complementary Therapy Business.”

She added: "The majority of my clients are from York and the surrounding area and the positive gains they see in their health and wellbeing reduces absenteeism from work in local businesses."