A family-run shop and clinic in Kenilworth is celebrating its 40th anniversary as its third-generation owner continues to keep the original core values at the heart of day-to-day business.

Margaret Hills Health and Lifestyle dates back to 1982 when it began as a nutritional clinic to treat arthritis.

Former nurse Margaret Hills started the clinic after treating herself for rheumatoid arthritis in the 1950s.

"She had arthritis herself, and you can imagine what the healthcare was like at that time when she was in her 20s, there was basically no treatment for inflammatory arthritis," said company director Julia Davies – Margaret's granddaughter.

"She spent six months in hospital at one point just lying flat on a bed.

"Because she was medically trained she started to look into what would help her deal with the pain. It took a long time but she got herself better."

Having successfully treated her own condition, Margaret then wrote a newspaper article on what she had done and was inundated with letters from other people asking for help.

"That is when the Margaret Hills Clinic was born really," said Julia.

"She started making supplements for people and she used to see people free of charge.

"It was completely to her own detriment as she was out of pocket.

"But then as she treated more people she had to leave nursing, commit to it fully and it became a devotion."

Having set up her own clinical practice, Margaret then opened the shop we see today in Millar Court to sell supplements. She then when on to write a number of books about her methods.

Her work, which has been translated into a number of different languages, is still used to this day.

Julia said her grandmother's legacy could still be seen, especially through the regular drop in sessions held in the shop.

"It is still going strong with her reputation. She died in 2003, so we are 19 years on which is quite incredible really.

"I am really passionate about people healing their own conditions, but not having to pay for the one-to-one work which can be prohibitively expensive.

"Obviously it is great what we are doing, but it does price some people out."

Margaret's daughter Christine took over the day to day running of the business in 2001, before Julia took over.

And having suffered from juvenile idiopathic arthritis as a young child, Julia saw her grandmother's work first hand.

"I was very poorly and off school, but my grandma helped me over the period of about a year and a half so I could get back to school," she said.

"In some ways my mind was sort of blown that I could recover from something I was told I wouldn't do."

Julia previously worked for the civil aviation authority before studying nutritional therapy and then functional medicine and coming back to Margaret Hills.

And as she continues to preserve her grandmother's legacy she said it was more than just a family business.

"I am not doing this because it is a family business, I am doing it because I truly believe this is the thing to do.

"She had such a good heart, her devotion in life was helping other people and I am immensely proud to think that I have inherited that passion.

"It is wonderful that she knew so much before anybody else did, she was a real founder.

"It is amazing, what is not to love about the story."