A Bury podiatrist has realised his dream of opening a private clinic in his home town – and aims to create five new jobs this year.

Bury Foot Clinic, owned and operated by Bury-born Andrew Mayo, has opened its doors at The Rock Shopping Centre, promising a ‘relaxed and modern environment’ offering customers ‘exceptional treatment and care’.

The new clinic is located on Rock Street, close to St John’s Gardens at The Rock and its services include routine foot care, diabetic foot assessments, biomechanical assessments, orthotics, nail surgery and more.

The new clinic is the third in Andrew’s portfolio. He has clinics in Lytham and Walkden but says he always wanted to return to Bury to open a practice.

Andrew, 32, worked for Bury NHS when he graduated from Salford University in 2007.

The former Tottington High School pupil said: “It feels great to be returning back to home soil. I’m looking forward to seeing all my regular patients from the area and meeting new patients.

“I’ve always wanted a private practice in Bury. The Rock gives us a fantastic opportunity to join big high street names and be a part of a very busy development.”

He added: “As with my other practices, we have always strived to bring foot care to the high street with a modern look and feel, making it more appealing to all generations.”

Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Andrew to The Rock and we feel that Bury Foot Clinic is a great addition to our offering. We wish Andrew every success.”

A wedding dress shop owner who worked in a store at The Rock Shopping Centre when it first opened has gone full circle and opened her own boutique at the shopping destination.

Steph Davison, 28, has opened ‘Alice Ada Bridal’ at The Rock offering ‘a modern and relaxing environment’ for brides-to-be.

The new store is located on Rock Street, close to St John’s Gardens at the centre.

Steph studied Law at Leeds University and worked in Debenhams when the centre first opened in 2010. She said: “I wanted to open in Bury because it’s my home town, I worked on The Rock when it first opened and with Bury being one of the biggest shopping areas outside of Manchester city centre it made perfect sense.”

The former St Gabriel’s High School pupil has worked in the wedding industry for a number of years, including at a wedding dress shop and also as a wedding coordinator at a local venue.

Speaking about Alice Ada Bridal – which is named after both her grandmothers – Steph, said: “We offer a full experience at Alice Ada Bridal, we don’t just want our customers to buy a dress we want to give them the full wedding dress shopping experience and be able to help them with anything else wedding related they might need.

“We want our brides to have such a good time that they want to stay in touch and in the future they recommend us to other brides.”

Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, said: “Alice Ada Bridal is a great addition to The Rock and Bury town centre as a whole. We’re sure that brides visiting the store will enjoy a wonderful experience and we wish Steph every success in her new venture. We’re thrilled Steph decided to open here at The Rock having worked here almost nine years go.”