A MASSEUR who will travel to Brazil this summer to work with top athletes at the Paralympic Games has opened a new practice in Bolton.

Sally Barker has expanded her business with new premises in Chorley Old Road, above Cassa Hair and Beauty.

As well as owning her own business, SB Sports Massage and Rehabilitation, Sally is preparing for a six week stay in Rio de Janeiro starting in August.

She will be working with Team GB paralympic athletes, giving them massages and ensuring they are in tip top condition for whatever discipline they are competing in.

Sally, aged 43, also works with British Cycling, and has given massages to the likes of Olympians Sir Chris Hoy and Mark Cavendish.

Having always had a keen interest and passion for sport, Sally gained a degree in sports science in 1995, and landed a job in sales and marketing for Reebok UK following her graduation.

She worked for the company for 12 years but later decided that she wanted a change from the corporate world, and wanted a more hands on role within sport.

Sally then studied for an advanced diploma in sports massage, and opened her business in 2009. She gained a job working with British Cycling the following year and has continued to do so at its base at the Manchester Velodrome.

The Bolton site is her third premises, adding to other clinics in Leeds and Chorley, and the firm has further plans to expand across the North West.

She has four members of staff across her business, and they will all have to muck in while Sally is in Rio.

Sally, who lives in Chorley, said: "It's really exciting to be opening in Bolton. It is a good job I have a good team in place to help run the business run smoothly while I am away. But it is a great opportunity to travel with top athletes."

As well as working with those participating in sport, Sally says a lot of people who visit her clinics are ordinary people who may have other more everyday problems.

She said: "It is really quite varied. We also have a lot of people who have back and neck pain, because they sit at a desk all day or if they have bad posture.

"There's a lot of people out there trying sports and keeping fit, which is good, but massages can help people who are sporty and those who are more sedentary."