Real stories · Slip on, cushioned, arch support

The slip-on slides that hold my arches and take all the ache out of the day

Slippers that actually hold my arches, that I can just step into — that's all I wanted, and I'd stopped believing it existed. I'm 67, and pottering about the house and garden all day had started to leave my feet aching by teatime. Flat slippers give nothing under the arch, and anything with a buckle or a back is a bother to get on when your hands and hips aren't as nimble as they were.

What I wanted was something soft and supportive I could simply slide my feet into — a treat for tired feet around the house, out to the bins, down the garden.

Then I found the Asteria slides from a British label called York Boutique — floral arch support platform slides, and I chose the soft cream.

They're a little marvel. There's a proper moulded arch inside, which is why my feet don't ache the way they used to — it holds the foot where a flat slipper just lets it fall — and the chunky platform is soft and cushioned so the hard kitchen tiles don't come through. Best of all they're a slip-on, so I just step in and go, no bending, no buckles. The little flowers on top make me smile, too.

Proper arch support, a soft cushioned step, and I just slip them on. My feet stopped aching by teatime.

Cushioned arch-support slides, I assumed, would be fifty pounds. But York Boutique sells direct, so they were £24.95 in the summer sale. A small price for feet that don't ache.

My neighbour admired them over the fence and asked where they were from. I'd checked before ordering that I could send them back if they didn't fit — you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free — so there was nothing lost by trying. They come in five colours and in sizes 5 to 9.

If your feet ache by teatime like mine did, do treat yourself to a look. The Asteria is rated 4.6 out of 5 by more than 300 women, it's £24.95 in the summer sale instead of £50 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.