Gillian Wham was a Digital Designer for over seven years before taking a career break for to parent her two. On returning to work, Gillian wanted something that was more flexible around her family:
“I was looking for the flexibility that allowed me to still be there for my girls, do the drop-off and pickups and be there during school holidays.”
The Creation Station provided the perfect opportunity for Gillian to combine her creative background with her desire for greater flexibility, and having attended Creation Station classes with her two girls when they were younger, she knew how much fun they were and appreciated how valuable they were for parents and children.
After only running for just over a year, Gillian’s hard work, caring personality and commitment to growing her business have gained her the prestigious Families Champion Award 2023.
Families Champion Award 2023
Here’s Gillian’s story:
“As I approach two years of running my business it has been amazing to continue to watch the little ones grow and develop each week. Seeing them hit new milestones in their creative journey is fantastic to be part of and to see the effects of nurturing their creativity. From the little ones who have overcome their fear of paint to the children who pretend to be me at home with their own Magic Ideas Box and eager teddies waiting to see what’s inside, being part of their creative journey is something that is treasured.
My main goal for my business has always been to instil creativity and family bonding in my community as well as my own family, creating those memories that are cherished and never forgotten. Seeing my own children flourish through helping me and wanting to be involved in the business is a constant reminder that I am smashing my personal goal and the main inspiration for my business! It’s a joy to see their confidence and pride in their own work go from strength to strength as they excitedly take their creations from our Create Club session each week to show their teacher.
I pride myself on seeing the wonderful nurturing environment my sessions provide for not only the children but also for their grown-ups. Watching the relationships flourish between families in our class is lovely and I was delighted to see that after some of my Little Explorers moved on to nursery their Grandparents continue to still meet up with each other for coffee to continue their friendship formed in class. My classes have also provided one mother and her child a space to take time out, and bond together with the mother grateful for the therapeutic benefit she feels she gets from the time in class as she shares the creative experience with her son. The environment of our classes is an important aspect to achieving these examples and an area I work hard to ensure we have the venues that contribute to the overall experience. I have worked hard to continue to strengthen our successful partnership with Dobbie’s Garden Centre following a change in their management. Bookings for these sessions have continued to go from strength to strength as the venue continues to provide an added experience for families.
Gillian and her Girls
The last few months have provided many obstacles to navigate my business around such as increased competitors with new pre-school children’s classes launched as the industry recovers from the pandemic, as well as losing most 3-5-year-olds to the extended free hours offered by Nursey. I remain positive in the face of obstacles as I believe in what I offer and remain focused on providing the best I can to build a firm foundation for my business to thrive for the long haul.
Over the past 6 months I have developed a strong relationship with my local family-run Farm Park. I have embraced the brief of providing arts and crafts based on the theme of the events running at the Farm Park, which I have been getting constant great feedback and I have built a firm foundation of trust as I have consistently delivered activities to exceed their expectation. After providing slimetastic potion-making for their winter wizarding event they gratefully fed back that our potion-making had been the star of the weekend and what all their customers had been talking about. I can’t wait to inspire more families at their future events!
Following the success of my Families sessions, I have recently expanded my business by launching Education themed sessions in schools too. I am so excited!
I love what i do and how I can support my own family as well”.
As you can see, Gillian is an amazing and inspirational person who is passionate about offering a range of creative opportunities to children and their families.
We know that Gillian will continue to inspire many families within her local area.
If we don’t have a Creation Station in your area, find out about running your own flexible fun and rewarding creative business with full training and ongoing support.
Click below to find your local award-winning classes, parties and events from your local Creativity Ambassadors.
