Head office move aids expansion for Fortis as psychotherapist MD becomes a Ted Talks star

Alexis Powell-Howard has been hand-picked to feature on the inspiration-packed platform

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David LaisterBusiness Editor (Humber)

17:59, 6 FEB 2023
Updated18:22, 6 FEB 2023

Alexis Powell-Howard outside Gordon House, the new base for Fortis Therapy & Training in Grimsby. — Alexis Powell-Howard at Gordon House, the new base for Fortis Therapy & Training in Grimsby. (Image: Fortis Therapy & Training)

An award-winning Grimsby mental health and wellbeing provider has expanded into a historic town building.

Fortis Therapy and Training has moved from Abbey Walk to Gordon House on Dudley Street.

The Victorian villa was built by George Doughty in 1885, 10 years before the ship-owner’s election to serve Grimsby as an MP. It was named in tribute to Major General George Gordon CB, who had fallen having staged a near year-long defence of Khartoum during the Mahdist War.

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Acquired from him by theatre manager Henry James Curry, it eventually switched to commercial use, and has more recently operated as a dental practice.

The team is now keen to celebrate breathing new life into a “fading Grimsby building”, stating it was one that resonated with many, with several having had their check-ups there.

Gordon House in Dudley Street, Grimsby, pictured last August by Google Maps as early renovations began. (Image: Google Maps)

Managing director Alexis Powell-Howard had long seen the potential, but said it was a project that has not come without its challenges. She said: “The half a decade or so we have spent at Abbey Walk has given us, as a team, a space to lay the foundations of Fortis, and to expand on those. But now it is time for a new chapter and the next period of growth for us.

“Working closely with local contractors RPS Ltd and Scott Rawlins Ltd, we’ve been able to restore Gordon House to its former glory and introduce so many new aspects into the Fortis experience, as well as more of our personality as a team and a business. We are very much looking forward to welcoming clients through the doors of our new home.”

Additional therapy rooms, parking, and brand new facilities will come together, with an official opening being planned. The 10 new rooms it features have been named by people within the community, and through social media – each dedicated to a personality who has inspired.

And it comes as Alexis is also inspiring others. She has been selected to feature on the global speaking platform Ted Talks following a at the end of last year, at which she outlined the power of therapy and professional mental health support in aiding self-awareness and growth.

Ted is a global community that spreads ideas through impactful and informative talks, with TedX events serving as independent, locally organised versions of the main conference. Ted, which boasts more than 37 million subscribers on its YouTube channel, said that Alexis’ talk represented a “valuable and timely idea for [their] audience.”

Her talk was seen by more than 26,000 people in the first 24 hours of going live.

Of her experience in Greece and subsequent profiling, Alexis said: “I still can’t quite believe that my talk has been hand-selected by Ted to be published on their channel, to millions of subscribers. To write and present a TEDx talk is always challenging and thought-provoking: it’s a process that involves excitement, uncertainty, and then utterly loving every minute on stage.”

It comes just days after charity Mind, in line with Time To Talk Day 2023, released results of a study showing that 20 million people in Britain are suffering in silence every day. It revealed that a third of adults fail to make time to speak about their troubles, with a quarter worrying that they’ll be judged for opening up. In the same study, a third of people believe more accessible mental health support services would help.

“I am passionate about delivering high quality, effective, and accessible therapeutic services, it’s the reason that I set up Fortis a decade ago,” Alexis said. Now, more than ever, we must focus on our mental and emotional health and wellbeing. Modern living priorities and the wider economic landscape all impact our growth and development.

“As a subject close to my heart, having experienced the power of therapy for the clients we support at Fortis, having this talk selected by TED, to me, is an amazing way of hopefully getting the message out there.”