A Perthshire woman is taking cycling to work scheme to a new level through her business.
More and more people are opting to leave the car at home, or hop on a bicycle to work rather than travelling by public transport.
But for Fiona Perry, cycling to work means peddling miles across Perthshire every day.
Residents of Comrie regularly see Fiona cycling between appointments on her distinctive cargo bike.
Fiona claims to be Scotland’s first mobile dental hygienist and can offer treatments in people’s homes.
After more than 30 years spent working at various practices as a dental hygienist for, she embarked on her own business venture.
Fiona said at the practice in Aberfeldy where she most recently worked, many elderly patients were unable to attend appointments.
“That’s how the idea started,” Fiona said.
She gave up that job to go travelling around South America for six months. Without a job on her return, Fiona decided to go it alone.
Dealing with ‘different feel’ after Covid
Her registration with the General Dental Council was approved in March 2020, just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
That was right as Covid hit so I went live in August.
“Covid has given it a totally different feel.
“Some people are apprehensive about attending appointments, and there are more people working from home.
“Maybe they were registered with a dentist near where they worked, and suddenly they’re looking for a dentist to register with.”
She set up Flying Smiles and now travels all over Perthshire to see patients within the comfort of their own home.
“I can come to your house and I can keep you healthy to the point that you maybe only need to go to the dentist once a year for a check-up.
“That’s affordable compared with going two or three times a year.”
Mobile Perthshire dental hygienist
She covers an area stretching from Aberfeldy to Dunblane and Killin to Scone.
“If there are several patients in a specific area outwith that, I will go further.”
Fiona added she has been contacted by people from Inverness to London about her service.
Within Comrie, she travels on a cargo bike supplied by Comrie Community Development Trust.
Fiona added: “They had two non-electric bikes that weren’t being used.
“Because they’re non-electric, we just do the Comrie area on them – it’s a bit of an effort going up and down hills when you’ve got all of the equipment on the bike too.
“But it’s good for fitness and for the environment.”
Success so far and plans to grow
Fiona has been delighted by the success of Flying Smiles to date. Now she’s hoping to expand her reach and grow her team.
“I didn’t know to start with whether it would be worth the investment.
“Two years in, I’ve now employed someone and I’m looking to expand my team.
“There have also been enquiries from other hygienists about setting up themselves, so I’m mentoring other hygienists.”
Fiona said she wants to encourage other people to follow in her footsteps.
She hopes a reduction in the fees required by the Healthcare Improvement Scotland – she currently has to pay a four-figure sum similar to a dental practice – will encourage others.
She added: “I found there were a lot of firmly shut doors and I spent a lot of time pushing doors open.
“In England they pay one sixth of what I pay. I’m hoping by 2024 when they review the fees, I’ll have a box of the policies and procedures that I’ll be able to give someone.”
Conversation