| Nature of Enquiry | Little Miss Muffet Fights back!
25year old Sarah Hagger from Queensland, Australia finally found her dream job but faces her worst nightmare every day.
Sarah who suffers from severe Arachnophobia arrived in the UK three months ago and landed her perfect role as a Zoo/Farm Manager at Wheelgate Adventure Park, Mansfield, Nottingham. However Sarah is finding the role more challenging than she imagined as the park exhibits several large Tarantulas!
Park Operations, Matt Bendall said, ‘We were aware of Sarah’s phobia when we employed her, with extensive developments of the new zoo-farm and the arrival of new species of spiders, we now feel it is important to assist Sarah in overcoming her fear, we will do everything we can to support her and have enlisted a hypnotherapist to help Sarah combat this problem.’
Arachnophobia is the most common of all phobia’s, effecting 50% of women and 10% of men, the origins of this phobia inevitably lies in an individuals past, often in childhood – no one is actually born with this fear although it effects millions of people around the world.
Sarah commented, ‘I was so excited when I was offered the job as Zoo-Farm Manager. I enjoy being involved in every aspect of the Zoo Farm, I need to be able assist my staff fully and suffering from arachnophobia is a major problem for me! I spoke to the Management to see if they were willing to help me beat this problem and after experiencing the extent of my phobia they agreed’
Simon Lockett, Team Leader added, ‘We have regular workshops through out the day that evolves handling spiders. Unfortunately I have to run most of them due to Sarah’s phobia – but I have to admit it would be great if she could give me hand once in a while! I can’t wait until she is cured and I can handle the snakes for a change! Staff at the park are all very supportive and we have vowed to make a spider-woman of her yet!’
Stefan Richards, Phobia Specialist, will be working with Sarah over the coming weeks to conquer her fear. Throughout the world only 2% of the 63,000 species of arachnids are harmful to humans; this means that most spiders are relatively harmless. Stefan tells us after being involved with Stress Management for over 20 years and qualified as a hypnotherapist for over 14 years, ‘Arachnophobia is a real, serious problem for many people. It can become an obsession, affecting their everyday lives in unmanageable ways. I am extremely confident that Sarah will be handling the parks Tarantulas in no time, phobias are relatively easy to treat – I have successfully cured many arachnophobics.’
Ends
For More information and Photographs contact Sandy Gyorvari 07870835349
Immediate release 19/08/10
Wheelgate Park
White Post
Farnsfeild
Newark
Nottingham
NG22 8HX
Tel: 01623 882773
Fax: 01623883559
Email: Fun@wheelgatepark.com
Web: www.wheelgatepark.com
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