28/08/2026
๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ฌ ๐ด๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ!
And just like thatโฆ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ด!!! ๐ฅนโค๏ธ
Happy Little Hands started completely from scratch, at a time in my life when I had absolutely no idea what the future was going to look like.
In October 2017, I was made redundant from a job that wasnโt just a job to me. It was my career, my passion, and something I had never imagined leaving.
I was a Specialist Teacher and Manager at Sense College, where I had found a real passion for teaching deafblind people and supporting people with a wide range of disabilities and learning disabilities, including autism. During the 16 years I was there, I learnt so much โ from British Sign Language and Braille, to the many different ways people communicate and learn.
Most importantly, I learnt that communication isnโt one-size-fits-all. Every person has their own way of understanding, expressing themselves and connecting with the world around them, and finding the right way to communicate can make such a huge difference.
I had absolutely no intention of ever leaving. I loved my job, I loved the people I worked with, and I genuinely thought that was where my career was going to stay.
So being made redundant was a huge shockโฆ and little did I know at the time that it would be the beginning of something completely new. ๐ฅฐ
It was the week I gave birth to Aviana, I was also made redundant. ๐ฅน
To say I was scared, excited and completely overwhelmed would be an understatement! I suddenly had a newborn baby, a business to create from nothing, and SO much to learn and plan on the business side of thingsโฆ all whilst on maternity leave, working towards launching Happy Little Hands in September 2018!
And now, eight years later, I honestly feel ๐ฆ๐ข ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐โฆ and so incredibly lucky. โค๏ธ
What started as my little business has grown in ways I could never have imagined.
Not long after launching, Happy Little Hands started running Intergenerational Classes at Ashwood Care & Nursing Home in Spalding and Abbeygate in Moulton. Sadly, COVID happened, which paused the classes for a while, but from that came something I never expected โ ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐!
And those online classes went ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐! ๐
In 2022, I started teaching in my first nursery setting, and over the past few years that side of Happy Little Hands has grown and grown.
Alongside my community classes, I now teach ๐ญ๐ฎ ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐, ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ-๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น, ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ, as well as running monthly intergenerational classes, weekly online classes, four adult evening SSE courses over the last year, and bespoke training courses for nursery staff.
And I am SO proud of that. โค๏ธ
Happy Little Hands is completely organic, and Iโm very proud to say that it has grown through word of mouth, recommendations, lovely families bringing friends along, and people believing in me.
I absolutely ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ what I do. I put my heart and soul into every single aspect of Happy Little Hands, making sure my classes are fun, inclusive and supportive โ and I really hope that shows.
Iโve not just survived lockdowns, online classes, and even teaching online with my broken foot held up in the air (classy me!! ๐คฃ)โฆ Iโve come out the other side with a little business that is bigger, busier and more exciting than I ever imagined it could be.
I have actually never counted how many babies and children have come through my classes over the yearsโฆ and I really should have! ๐คฃ
But itโs ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง.
And somewhere along the way, Happy Little Hands has become so much more than just a class โ itโs created a lovely little community of families, children and settings who support, encourage and celebrate each other. โค๏ธ
I have made so many wonderful friends over the last eight years. I still keep in touch with so many families, and there is nothing better than watching the little ones I met as tiny babies grow, learn, develop and become their own little people. ๐ถ๐ผ๐ง๐ผ๐ฆ๐ป
๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ! โค๏ธ
Thank you to every single person who has believed in me, supported me, encouraged me, followed Happy Little Hands, recommended me to a friend, shared a post, brought your little one along, joined me online, or simply cheered me on.
Thank you for sharing my enthusiasm for Happy Little Hands and for trusting me to be part of your little onesโ lives. It really does mean more to me than you probably realise. ๐ฅนโค๏ธ
And I also want to say a ๐ต๐๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ ๐๐ผ๐ to all of the settings I work alongside. โค๏ธ
Thank you for welcoming me into your nurseries, pre-schools and schools, for making me feel like part of your team and, most importantly, for trusting me to support the children in your care.
Itโs such a privilege to work alongside staff who are so passionate about the children they support, and to be able to bring Happy Little Hands into their settings โ making communication, learning and having fun a part of their week. ๐ฅฐ
And lastlyโฆ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ to my lovely family. โค๏ธ
Thank you for your patience, your understanding, your ideas, your suggestions and your endless support and love โ both for me and for Happy Little Hands.
Youโve listened to me talk about ideas, songs, classes, props and plans. Youโve encouraged me, helped me, put up with the chaos and always believed in what Iโm doing.
Happy Little Hands really has become part of our family tooโฆ and I think the fact that ๐ง๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ง๐ถ๐บ ๐ข ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ says it all! ๐คฃโค๏ธ
Not forgetting my mum who has handmade amazing props for meโฆ and my brother Luke Blackmore who designed my logo, created my website and has given me endless support and advice - thank you!!!! ๐๐ป
I couldnโt do it without all of you. Thank you for always being behind me and for loving Happy Little Hands almost as much as I do. ๐ฅนโค๏ธ
So hereโs to ๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐โฆ and whatever comes next! ๐ฅ๐
I honestly cannot wait. โค๏ธ
๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐. โค๏ธ
๐๐8๏ธโฃ
Venetia ๐๐ป ๐ ###
