Company Background

01/Jan/07

2001-2005:
I wrote the Mrs Pottytree stories with the hope of creating a simple text that could be used to encourage role play scenarios between children and their carers.

2005:
I moved on to develop a range of puppets (including Mrs Pottytree, of course) to assist me in my research in relation to using the books in primary schools. The puppets became very popular and so I experimented with making and using them with different ages of children. During this time, I was lucky to work with children from both mainstream and special schools. Through this exploration, I devised the workshops described in these pages, alongside the Pottytree stories. At the tail end of this year, I approached the Parenting Matters charity (www.parentingmatterstrust.org) with an idea of using puppets to assist in family communication.

2006:
Parenting Matters secured a sum of money to fund a year of collaboration. This was extremely successful and has led to further work together. Throughout this year, various people heard about what I was doing and started booking my services. New material was created in order to keep up with the demand for the puppet workshops. Wokingham Council cultural services team were very helpful and supportive. By September, I had started a business course run by The Creative Sector (http://www.businessinberkshire.co.uk/creativebusiness/index.html) which aims to transform small businesses like my own into ongoing concerns. It is a fantastic course.

2007:
The Pottytree Puppets website goes live. The puppet theatre gains a beautiful background scene painted by a local artist and it is now ready for the children to use. New puppets and workshop material for year 5/6 children are currently being designed.