We're Launching a National Campaign for Children's Feet
Today is a day I'm genuinely proud of. After months of work behind the scenes, The Footwear Hub has officially launched its first national public campaign: Fit Well, Grow Well.
If you're a SoleLution customer, you'll know that properly fitted children's shoes have always been at the heart of what we do here on Portishead High Street. This campaign takes that message further than the shop floor. For the first time, we have a dedicated platform giving parents across the UK free, expert-reviewed guidance on children's shoe fitting, wherever they are.
Why we built this
I came to shoe fitting in a roundabout way. I hated shopping, didn't think of myself as a people person, and honestly didn't particularly like shoes. It took me a while to work out that all three of those feelings came from the same place: I could never find anything that fitted. With a size 6.5 to 7 wide foot, I was used to being greeted with a look that said my foot wasn't going to go in that shoe. They wore me, rather than the other way round.
Once I trained as a fitter and genuinely understood what a good fit felt like, everything changed. That experience is what drives everything I do at SoleLution, and it's what drove me and my co-founder Nadia Arden-Scott to create The Footwear Hub.
What we kept seeing, in our shops and through conversations with fitters across the country, was children arriving in shoes that were too small, too narrow, or had never been properly fitted at all. Parents weren't doing anything wrong. They just didn't have clear, accessible information about what a good fit actually involves.
What the numbers tell us
In a survey we conducted ahead of the launch, 62% of parents said they had noticed signs their child's shoes might be getting too small, including red marks, blisters, complaints of pain, or tripping more than usual. Nearly half said no one had ever clearly explained what a proper fit involves when their child first started wearing shoes.
Those figures reflect exactly what fitters see in practice. A toddler not yet two years old, whose big toe was bent over because her shoes were two full sizes too small. A ten-year-old with bunions forming on both feet who had never been properly measured. These are not rare cases. They are what professional fitters across the UK encounter regularly.
Consultant Podiatric Surgeon Trevor D Prior found in a clinical study that 90% of patients were in the wrong sized shoes. That figure matches what we see every day.
What the campaign offers parents
The Fit Well, Grow Well website gives parents:
1. Simple, practical guidance on first shoes and growing feet
2. Fit checks to use at home between professional fittings
3. Clear advice on the warning signs that shoes may need re-checking
4. A directory of Footwear Hub member shops offering professional fitting across the UK
Children's feet grow faster in the first five years than at any other point in their lives. Under the age of two, feet should be measured and the fit checked by a specialist fitter every six to eight weeks. Children that age cannot tell you reliably when something hurts. That's why professional fitting matters so much, and why parents need good information to support it.
What this means for SoleLution customers
Nothing changes in the shop. You'll still find the same fitting expertise, the same brands, and the same warm welcome on Portishead High Street. What the Footwear Hub gives us is a way to extend that expertise beyond our four walls, and to connect families who don't yet have a specialist fitter nearby with one who can help.
If your little one is due a fitting, or if you've noticed any of those warning signs, come and see us. That's what we're here for.
And if you'd like to share the campaign with other parents, you can find everything at the Footwear Hub website.