Heating insert for use with footwear

An electrical heating insert for thermoforming or drying the thermally formable padding of an article of footwear, comprising electrical resistance heating means coupled with a layer of thermally conductive material, adjacently to the padding to be thermoformed or dried, said electrical resistance heating means being provided with electrical conductors for connection to a common source of electrical power, characterised in that said electrical heating means comprise at least one piece of electrically resistive polymer sheet, adapted to reach a temperature sufficient to soften said thermally formable padding, when connected to a first relatively high power level of said common source of electrical power, and to attain a temperature which is not sufficient to soften said thermally formable padding but sufficient to provide drying out of moisture and/or warming of the padding, when connected to a second, relatively low electrical power level of said common source of electrical power.