Nestled in a far corner on the perimeter of the Scottish Estate, another ambitious project is underway: construction of a new dedicated site for The Prince’s Foundation’s GP and patient-led wellbeing services. The project was inspired by the success of the Estate’s health and wellbeing programme, in partnership with local GPs, where natural remedies and traditional techniques are championed, with great emphasis placed on healing the mind and body as a whole. In 2016, the decision was made to create a space to treat the scheme’s patient referrals. Located to the east of the House at the former Stockiehill Gate Lodges, the secluded nature of its location creates a calm environment, while still offering easy access to patients.

The building will comprise one large room, which will be used for group yoga or meditation sessions, with six smaller rooms that can be used as treatment rooms for individual therapies. With energy-efficient underfloor heating throughout the centre, the construction is designed to create a sense of warmth and encourage relaxation, putting patients at ease, in addition to providing much-needed space for the programme’s practising therapists.

The new centre will offer a wide range of complementary therapies – reflexology, acupuncture and hypnotherapy to name three – that encourage everything from increased fertility and menopausal health to chronic pain management, while also helping combat diabetes and obesity, with a strong focus on nutrition and diet, including workshops on planting, harvesting and cooking produce from the Estate gardens.

“Different therapies appeal to different people,” explains Dumfries House Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator, Carolyn Paton. “It is exciting when you see the connection they make with a therapy and they get a real buzz from it, making them feel better and wanting to try more.”

Complementary therapies are becoming more popular, with some, such as yoga, being practised for their fitness advantages, including balance and flexibility, while potentially also having a calming effect on physical and mental stress levels. “We’re so excited to bring to this part of Scotland a holistic and integrated view of health, which looks at the whole person: mind, body and spirit,” says Paton.

The centre will also offer refresh sessions – workshops on practices including mindfulness, life coaching and sewing, giving participants the opportunity to revisit benefits previously acquired on a Health and Wellbeing programme, while enjoying the comfort of being back on the Estate. “Our aim is to augment conventional treatments with complementary therapies,” Paton explains, “so people experience a complete approach which takes into account physical health and emotional wellbeing.”

Words:Marie-Louise von Haselberg

Photography:James McNaught