diddi dance

diddi dance Reading & Wokingham receives CAA Gold Accreditation

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The team at diddi dance, the brand behind the much loved preschool dance classes, are extremely proud to announce their franchise diddi dance Reading & Wokingham has achieved Gold accreditation from the Children’s Activities Association (CAA). The CAA is the only not-for-profit, industry-led association to set and raise standards in all organised children’s activities across the UK and this achievement clearly showcases the team at diddi dance Reading & Wokingham’s passion for excellence.

Set-up by leading industry experts in 2015, including diddi dance Founder Anne-Marie Martin, the establishment of the CAA (a Community Interest Company) has revolutionised the children’s activities sector. After Anne-Marie completed the accreditation process for diddi dance in 2016, she decided to offer the same accreditation to each diddi dance Franchise. This past month Anne-Marie & diddi dance were thrilled to personally accredit franchisee Andrea Bickford and her franchise diddi dance Reading & Wokingham.

Over 200,000 children a week now attend a CAA member activity and it is a truly fantastic endorsement for diddi dance Reading & Wokingham to be part of this ground-breaking national initiative. Andrea’s commitment to achieving Gold for her franchise shows her dedication to demonstrate to her industry peers and her fellow diddi dance franchisees that she excels at what she does as well as giving her parents the reassurance they deserve when selecting the best classes for their little ones.

Andrea opened diddi dance Reading & Wokingam in January 2014 and now runs numerous classes in the area, and has gone on to grow it into one of the most recognisable diddi dance brands in the nation, Becoming a Gold accredited member of the CAA is the latest achievement in the brand’s 6 year success story supporting dancing toddlers weekly.

It is staggering to learn that before the CAA, there was no national, independent association in the UK for the children’s activity sector as a whole. Through the development of the CAA Code of Practice and via their thorough accreditation, for the first time, parents can now easily make simple, informed decisions when choosing from the wealth of children’s activities out there. Just by asking whether the provider is a CAA member, a parent or carer can get reassurance on important issues such as insurance, health and safety, criminal record checks, training, qualifications, class content and much more.

As one parent said regarding the CAA –

With so many clubs and classes to choose from it’s so hard to know which are the best and what I should be asking when I leave my children in the care of a class leader. In the past I just wrongly assumed kids’ activities must have to be regulated. Knowing that the CAA has asked those important questions to help keep my child safe is fantastic – so now I just look for their logo!”

Having achieved Gold CAA accreditation means that diddi dance Reading & Wokingham has been independently verified as having met or exceeded all the necessary elements of the CAA Code of Practice. This accomplishment offers parents peace of mind when selecting an activity from the myriad of providers out there.

Anne-Marie, commented on the accreditation process and Andrea’s success:

“Using the CAA accreditation system to ensure all our franchisees are performing to not only our high standards but also a nationally recognised association too is so important to us. Andrea is a great asset to our franchise network, she is motivated, hard working and driven, and through her attention to detail its fantastic she has now been awarded her gold accreditation”.

Adding to this Andrea of diddi dance Reading & Wokingham said:

“I always set myself and my team the highest of standards, as I truly believe that “if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well!” I pride myself on the quality of service I provide my customers and, wherever possible, I try to exceed their expectations, so it means a lot to be awarded Gold accreditation from the CAA. With so many toddler classes around today, I believe it’s really important for parents to have the peace of mind that the activity they’ve chosen is setting the benchmark for quality control in all aspects of the business”.

Congratulations again to Andrea and her franchise. If you would like more information about diddi dance Reading & Wokingham visit the Facebook page here or read all about them by clicking here

diddi celebrates EWIF finalists announced 2019

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The EWIF (Encouraging Women Into Franchising) Awards 2019 finalists have been announced!

We are extremely proud that our very own Anne-Marie Martin, founder of the diddi dance franchise, has been selected as one of only three finalists for the highly prestigious EWIF Inspirational Woman Award 2019 sponsored by Little Voices.

On being nominated, Founder of diddi dance, Anne-Marie Martin said,

“To have been selected as a finalist in this most prestigious of EWIF’s awards, in the Inspirational Woman of the Year 2019 category, is truly an honour. I am hugely proud of our diddi dance journey and where we have come in 16 years of franchising, in supporting women to create their own work/life balance running a business as part of the diddi dance family. To have our hard work recognised by EWIF is a real tribute to our success as a franchise”

 

In addition, two of our own diddi dance franchisees have also been announced as finalists in their categories – Charlotte Foxley who runs North Essex & South Suffolk,  is amongst five finalists for the title of Woman Franchisee of the Year 2019 sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants and Emily Norman who runs Bristol, is one of three selected finalists for Young Woman in Franchising of the Year 2019 (Under 30) sponsored by Darwin Gray. Here’s what they both say on their nomination:

Charlotte Foxley, finalist for Woman Franchisee of the Year 2019, said,

“I feel extremely honoured to have been selected as a finalist in this category and to have the hard work that I’ve put in to build my diddi dance franchise during 2018 recognised in this competitive field by EWIF”

 

 

 

Emily Norman, finalist for Young Woman in Franchising (Under 30) 2019, said,

“I am very excited for this year’s awards and feel very proud to have made it as a finalist in this category by EWIF. To achieve recognition as a young diddi dance franchisee within a male dominated industry by a prestigious awards body is a great honour”

 

 

We are exceptionally proud of our diddi dance finalists and applaud the hard work they have all put in throughout 2018 to reach this point. We wish them all the best of luck for the EWIF Awards 2019, which will be held this year on Wednesday 1st May.

What’s On 4 Kids 2019 Awards are now open

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The What’s On 4 Kids 2019 Awards are open for nominations!

We would love if you could spare a moment to nominate diddi dance as a company and put your reasons in the box provided by visiting here

What’s On 4 Kids UK  – Children’s Activities, a site where you can search for local activities, classes, groups and events for kids, children and babies. You can find hundreds of fun things to do with your children and family.

We thank you for your continued support 🙂

diddi founder shares the secrets of her success

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Our very own Anne-Marie Martin, founder of diddi dance, is going to be sharing her story and experience of becoming one of the UK’s most successful and multi award winning franchisors in the children’s activities sector.

You can catch Anne-Marie speaking at the following events over the next couple of months:

5 February 2019 @ Space at 61, London SE15

8 March 2019 @ Mama Tribe for International Women’s Day

2 April 2019 @ Girl Tribe Gang monthly SE London group meet up, at St John The Unicorn Pub, London SE15

23 April 2019 @ MIBA South London, at Louie Louie Cafe, London SE17

Do come and join us if you’d like to hear more about Anne-Marie Martin’s journey to successful franchisor and mumpreneur. We’d love to see you there! As well as speaking at these events, Anne-Marie has also been invited along to a local secondary school to participate as a Dragon in their Dragons Den event in February.

New diddi dance franchise – Southport, Sefton & West Lancashire

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We here at diddi dance HO would like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest franchisee, Lois, who will be running the new franchise – diddi dance Southport, Sefton & West Lancashire.

Lois will be launching her new classes from January in Birkdale and Formby. Watch this space for more information!

To register your interest with Lois and book a free trial, fill in our Book a Free Trial form and select her name or you can email her directly by clicking here 🙂

A little bit more about Lois:

Tell us a bit about yourself:

I am mum to 3 young children, my eldest 5 and my youngest 13 months. They keep me both busy and happy.

What did you do before diddi dance?

I am a qualified primary school teacher and have been teaching for 10 years, mainly within the EYFS. I have extensive knowledge of child development and the early years curriculum.

Why did you choose a diddi dance franchise?

I enjoy working with children immensely and have a love and passion for dancing. I am really excited about having an enjoyable career that fits around my family. Dancing can enhance all areas of a child’s development including social skills, emotions, creativity, physical skills…the list is endless. I am looking forward to bringing mums and their little ones together in a friendly relaxed environment where we can learn, grow and laugh together.

What are you most excited about for your new business?

Bringing the joy and excitement of diddi dance to the boys and girls around me. I am looking forward to dancing and having fun every day!

And finally, which diddi dance theme are you looking forward to the most and why?

Bollywood! Whilst travelling in India I fell I love with their hip shaking, arms moving, feet stomping dances!

 

Don’t forget to book your FREE trial today!

New diddi dance franchise – Bromley, Dulwich & Surrounding

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We here at diddi dance HO would like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest franchisee, Lucinda, who will be running the new franchise – diddi dance Bromley, Dulwich & Surrounding.

Lucinda will be launching her new classes from January in Bromley, Orpington, Keston, Farnborough, Dulwich and Beckenham. Watch this space for more information!

To register your interest with Lucinda and book a free trial, fill in our Book a Free Trial form and select her name or you can email her directly by clicking here 🙂

A little bit more about Lucinda:

Tell us a bit about yourself:

I became a performer from the age of 10 attending full time theatre school, appearing in commercials and film. I was lucky enough to attend the Royal Ballet summer school. I later went on to attend the Centre College, where I studied for a 3 year professional musical theatre course and gained my teaching qualifications in I.S.T.D. I started my professional dance career at the age of 18 and have performed in theatres, casinos, circus, and cruise ships all over the world for the past 10 years.

What did you do before diddi dance?

I have been a cover teacher, when not performing, for 12 years. I have been teaching full time for a year and a half in ballet, tap, modern and various other styles teaching toddlers to adults.

Why did you choose a diddi dance franchise?

I have been in touch with diddi dance for a few years. I loved the classes, the relationship the teachers have with the children and I loved the atmosphere. I felt it was the right time to deliver my own classes with diddi dance.

What are you most excited about for your new business?

I am excited to build relationships with the children and guardians and to make a fun, safe, environment to watch the children nurture and grow in their development.

And finally, which diddi dance theme are you looking forward to the most and why?

I love the ballroom theme, its gracefulness and flare which the children love doing.

 

Don’t forget to book your FREE trial today!

Welcome a new Franchisee to diddi dance North Kent

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diddi dance toddler preschool north kent bexley dartforddiddi dance North Kent (Bexley & Dartford) has a new owner – Jane Mitchell! She will be taking over the management and direction of all classes & sessions running currently in the area and will be launching some new ones this upcoming September.

The classes that will be running from 10th September are:

Mondays:

  • 10am @ The Centre, New Eltham Methodist Church, 435 Methodist Church, New Eltham, London SE9 3UL

Wednesday

  • 11am @ Bexley Cricket Club, Studio Court, Manor way, Bexley, Kent, DA5 3QG

Feel free to email Jane directly now to book a FREE trial or secure your spot in any of the above classes for September via [email protected].

 

A little bit more about Jane:

Tell us a bit about yourself:

My name is Jane and I live in New Eltham London with my husband Neil and our two year old daughter Lucy, I have two teenage stepdaughters Cara and Nancy.

What did you do before diddi dance?

I have been hairdressing for over 20 years along with many different managerial roles at different times in other different customer focused environments. Including supervisory, managerial and proprietor all with teams working for me requiring training, support and HR.

How were you affiliated with your new diddi dance franchise before taking it over?

I attended diddi dance with Lucy and had such a great time it seemed like a fantastic opportunity.

What made you want to take on an already established diddi dance?

My initial interest in diddi dance was upon finding out that my local area franchise was available for purchase. As a parent at a class I was able to see the business in its true light. Taking on an established and reasonably small franchise I felt that I had a great business model to enable me to understand and learn the workings of the business, before expanding and exploring the territory further.

And finally, what are you looking forward to the most with your new diddi dance franchise?

After lone working for five years now I’m really excited to a part of a team again, having a network of support as well as my own teachers to work with.

This is a totally new venture for me a fantastic challenge and I’m looking forward to building a successful business and secure future for my family.

New diddi dance Franchise – York, Ryedale, Selby & Surrounding

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We here at diddi dance HO would like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest franchisee, Hayley, who will be running the new franchise – diddi dance York, Ryedale, Selby & Surrounding.

Hayley’s first classes will be:

  • Starting 10th September, Mondays @ 10.30am – The Avenues Childrens Centre, Sixth Avenue, Heworth, YO31 0TX
  • Starting 10th September, Mondays @ 1.30pm – St. Oswalds Church Hall, Fulford, YO31 4HJ
  • Starting 11th September, Tuesdays @ 9.30am – St. Lukes Church Hall, Burton Stone Lane, Clifton, YO30 6DG
  • Starting 12th September, Wednesdays @ 9.40am – St. Lawrence’s Church Hall, Lawrence Street, YO10 3BW
  • Starting 13th September, Thursdays @ 9.40am @-St. James the Deacon Church Hall,  2 Sheringham Drive, Dringhouses, YO24 2SE
  • Starting 13th September, Thursdays @ 11.15am – Super Sustainable Centre, Off Derwent Way, Osbaldwick, York YO10 3NP
  • Starting 14th September, Fridays @ 9.30am – The Centre, Burnholme, Mossdale Avenue, YO31 0HA
  • Starting 18th September, Tuesdays @ 11.15am – Reading Rooms, Church Street, Dunnington, YO19 5PW

To book your toddler onto any of the above classes fill in our Book a Free Trial form and address it to Hayley, or you can email her directly by clicking here 🙂

A little bit more about Hayley:

Tell us a bit about yourself:

I am engaged to my partner of 13 years and we have two beautiful children – Our daughter who is 4 and our son who is 1. My daughter is due to start school in September so we’ve been enjoying some lovely quality time this summer as a family including camping and some lovely days out. We also love to go cycling together as a family as my daughter has recently learnt to ride a bike.

What did you do before diddi dance?

I have been a stay at home mum for the last 2 years since having my son, but prior to that I was a Youth Worker for 12 years working with young people who were educationally and socially excluded and also helping to set up provision for community/youth groups who wanted to provide services for young people, including art, drama, dance and sporting sessions. My first role in the Youth Service was as a dance co-ordinator, helping set up and run dance sessions around York.

Why did you choose a diddi dance franchise?

I felt there were a number of reasons that diddi dance seemed like the perfect fit. Firstly, I could go back to my first love in life, which is teaching dancing, something I am very passionate about. I also loved the flexibility of working my business around my family , not compromising my own commitments such as being able to drop/pick my daughter up from school.

What are you most excited about for your new business?

I’m just so excited to see how much fun the children are going to have in their classes, as seeing their faces light up when they’re having so much fun is amazing. It’s such a high energy and positive class it will be a joy to go to work everyday!

And finally, which diddi dance theme are you looking forward to the most and why?

Hip hop! I always taught street dance so that style of dance is something I love. I’m also really excited to do Bollywood as it’s such a fun and energetic dance style!

Hayley’s classes will be starting with our Disco theme so don’t forget to book your FREE trial today!disco dancing toddler preschool diddi

diddi dance Wins Awards for Best Childhood Dance Classes

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SME News Announces the Winners of the 2018 UK Enterprise Awards and diddi dance is one of them!

toddler early years dance class award winning

We are thrilled with the news that this year we have been awarded Best Early Childhood Dance Classes. The 2018 UK Enterprise Awards showcase the very best businesses from across the UK’s corporate landscape.

Jessie Wilson, Awards Coordinator, discusses the success of this year’s programme:

“UK based enterprises are renowned for their diversity and ability to progress through tough times. As we turn our backs on the recession it is now more important than ever to seek out hard working, innovative and diverse business owners and offer them a platform to further succeed, and as such it is my pleasure to announce the publication of this year’s awards. Congratulations to all of my winners; you have each exhibited determination, passion and a will to succeed which I hope continues into the future.”

Founder of diddi dance, Anne-Marie, said of the win:

“At diddi dance we are really honoured to have won this award. It always makes us feel proud to gain industry recognition for our business. I feel the reason for our success is down to our passion. Not only do we love working with children, and seeing them develop, but also being able to offer other individuals a flexible working opporutnity

SME News prides itself on the validity of its awards and winners. The awards are given solely on merit and are awarded to commend those most deserving for their ingenuity and hard work, distinguishing them from their competitors and proving them worthy of recognition.

See all the other deserving winners in the winners supplement and find us on pg 70 or read our feature below.

diddi dance Franchisees win at 2018 Conference

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Earlier this month, 30 June & 1 July, diddi dance held its annual Conference where all franchisees come together to network, share best practice and take part in workshops & listen to presentations from industry experts to help them better their diddi dance business.

franchise franchisee conference business

A highlight of the conference for founder Anne-Marie, and we think the rest of the diddi dance network, is the diddi dance Awards which recognise those franchisees that are excelling in certain aspects of the business. Both a winner and highly commended are given in each award and here they are:

Anne-Marie commented on the awards:

We love doing our annual awards recognising those franchisees in our network that go above and beyond with their diddi dance. We find motivation and inspiration our fun awards invoke is of great benefit to the all the franchisees and really helps them drive their business over the next year. We can’t wait to see who wins next year!

Now we are pleased to announce the 2018 winners are…

franchisee award winningdiddi debutante for the fastest growing franchise from a franchisee who launched in 2017 (based upon overall business growth):

Highly Commended – Tatiana from diddi dance Oxford & Surrounding

Winner – Wendy from diddi dance South Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Ayr & Surrounding

franchisee award winningdiddi developer for the franchisee who has taken over a territory (through resale or transfer) and developed the business in all aspects:

Winner – Liz C from diddi dance South East Hampshire & Chichester

diddi diva for the biggest growth by a franchisee from June 2017 to May 2018:

Highly Commended – Anuschka from diddi dance North Londonfranchisee award winning

Winner – Emily from diddi dance Bristol

diddi dancer for the most enthusiastic and “en pointe” teacher as nominated by their franchisee:

Higly Commended – Sacha, who teaches for Emily from diddi dance Bristol
franchisee award winning
Winner – Natalie, who teaches for Lisa J from diddi dance West Berkshire, South Oxfordshire, Tadley & Marlow

diddi discusser for the franchisee fully utilising and actively using social media & online resources to their best ability:

Winner – Lisa J from diddi dance West Berkshire, South Oxfordshire, Tadley & Marlow

diddi doer for the franchisee with most innovative marketing & promotions:franchisee award winning

Highly Commended – Charlotte from diddi dance North Essex & South Suffolk

Winner – Caroline from diddi dance Swindon, Cirencester, Chippenham, Tetbury & Surrounding

diddi driver for the most motivated and driven franchisee doing their best to drive and progress their business:franchisee award winning

Highly Commended – Julia from diddi dance North & Central Leeds

Winner – Charlotte from diddi dance North Essex & South Suffolk

diddi dude for the franchisee that is most supportive and active amongst the network – as voted for by the other franchisees:
franchisee award winning
Highly Commended – Emily from diddi dance Bristol

Winner – Julia from diddi dance North & Central Leeds

diddi deliverer, a new award this year, for the franchisee who is running the best business overall:

Highly Commended – Emily from diddi dance Bristolfranchisee award winning

Winner – Emma H from diddi dance North Shropshire, Wrexham & North West Stoke-on-Trent

 

And lastly our biggest award each year is diddi dame which goes to a franchisee who has made an outstanding contribution to diddi dance in the last year:

Winner – Nicola B from diddi dance Lancester, Preston & Kendal

We couldn’t be more proud of our award winning franchisees. To book a place in one of their classes visit our FREE trial page today

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