Mums who were fed up with village hall playgroups have won a Business of the Year award for their new parenting club.
The Busy Lizzy club for mums and pre-schoolers was announced as the Young Business of the Year in the Toast of Surrey Business Awards organised by local paper the Surrey Advertiser.
The club was set up by parents Julie Yates and Sarah Monk to provide classes and meeting sessions for parents who were looking for more than just a playgroup in a village hall.
Julie said: “I was disappointed with the lack of facilities for mums, and after spending two years running Cupcake Mum, a private health club for parents in Putney, I realised something similar was needed in the Surrey area.
“We both felt passionately that more than the classes, a community for local mums was needed to provide much needed support in an area where most new mums don’t live near their wider families, they have left their old single friends pursuing careers and for the first time in their lives feel quite lost and lonely.
“Feedback has overwhelmingly been positive – it is a great endorsement when other like-minded parents share your dream.”
The club provides classes for babies up to school age in new theatre Glive, in Guildford, and Yoga Vita, in nearby Godalming.
Marnie Wilson, editorial director at the Surrey Advertiser, said: “”These awards are all about showcasing the best Surrey businesses and there is plenty of talent that allows us to do this.
“I’m absolutely delighted that Toast of Surrey is so popular and that the Surrey Advertiser is helping raise the profile of these companies.”