diddi dance

diddi dance Celebrates 6th Year in the Elite Franchise Top 100 at Celebratory Evening in London

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Last week we were delighted to celebrate our 6th consecutive year in the Elite Franchise Top 100 at the Tower Hotel, soaking up the fabulous views of London including Tower Bridge. The EF100 recognises and celebrates the industry’s leading franchises. We are so proud to have made it for another year.

Anne-Marie Martin, founder of diddi dance, who also runs diddi dance Royal Borough of Greenwich & Lewisham,  and Jane Mitchell of diddi dance Bexley & Dartford caught up with so many wonderful friends and colleagues in the Franchising world, and diddi dance were nominated in the ‘Rising Star of the Year’ category. It was a fantastic evening.

 

Nominate Your diddi dance Teacher for the What’s On 4 Kids Awards

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Have you nominated your diddi dance teacher yet?

The What’s On 4 Kids Awards are the most prestigious and longest running awards in the children’s activities sector, now in their 17th year.

Would you like to nominate your diddi dance teacher or Franchisee? Time is running out as the deadline is midday on Friday 24th March so click here if you would like to and to find out more information.

We are proud to have received nominations already so thank you for all your support.

diddi dance Plymouth & Surrounding Win Great British Franchise Award 2023

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We are absolutely delighted to announce that Liz & Rachael from diddi dance Plymouth & Surrounding have become a winner at the Great British Franchise Awards 2023 from Which Franchise. These awards are in recognition of outstanding franchisees who demonstrate the ability to perform exceptionally well in all areas of their business. 

“Dance school owners Liz Kelly and Rachel Martin have spent most of their seven years in business together laughing – and now they have something else to smile about after landing a major industry award. The women behind diddi dance in Plymouth have won a Great British Franchisee Award, the highest honour in the franchising world. But their path to success found itself blocked by Covid – and the pandemic certainly kept them on their toes”.

 

“We suffered a real setback in the growth of our business during the pandemic,” says Liz, “ but we were able to overcome the first lockdown by taking our classes online. All of our customers were delighted to be able to continue their Diddi dancing ,and it broke up their day and kept the little ones active when no-one was allowed to leave the house. We’re both extremely passionate about what we do, and we’ve spent most of the time laughing. How many people can say that when running a business?”

 

Anne-Marie Martin, founder of the diddi dance network, agrees, “Liz and Rachel have been with Diddi Dance since 2016 and work brilliantly as a partnership,” she says. “They have teachers who run classes for them and have extended their territory as well.” 

 

Congratulations Liz and Rachael on your fabulous award.

 

Children’s Mental Health Week 6-12 February 2023

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It’s Children’s Mental Health Week 2023 with Place2Be  💛

This year’s theme is ‘Let’s Connect’.

Let’s Connect is about making meaningful connections for all, during Children’s Mental Health Week, and beyond. People thrive in communities and this connection is vital for our wellbeing.

When we have healthy connections – from family, friends and others – this can support our mental health and our sense of wellbeing. diddi dance believes that keeping physically active and moving to music allows you to express yourself, and the endorphins it releases creates positive emotions and feelings which promote emotional emotional and mental health in all ages. Our classes give families the opportunity to do this together while socialising and making new friends too!

Find out more about Children’s Mental Health Week.

 

diddi dance a Sponsor of the What’s On 4 Kids UK Awards 2023

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We are once again a proud sponsor of the What’s on 4 Kids UK Awards 🏆

They are now in their 17th year and are the most prestigious and longest running awards for the sector. These awards recognise and reward the most loved children’s activities and businesses in the UK since 2006.

Nominations for 2023 are now OPEN!

If you would like to show your local diddi dance how amazing they are, you can find out more information about the awards and nominate them for a What’s On 4 Kids Award here.

We thank you for all your support.

 

diddi dance Turns 20 This Year

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We are excited to announce that diddi dance is 20 this year! 🎉

Founded in 2003 by Anne-Marie Martin, we are proud to be celebrating 20 years of pre school dance, exploring so many dance styles from around the world.

We love encouraging children and their families to enjoy a love of movement to music that will last a lifetime.

Have you and your little one (or not so little one now) danced with us over the last 20 years?

 

 

 

diddi dance Celebrates 2022

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Wow, what a year 2022 has been!

We have welcomed 4 new franchisees to the diddi dance crew – Kirsty Barker of diddi dance Central & North Liverpool &  South Knowsley, Naomi Sumner of diddi dance Southport, Sefton & West Lancashire, Sophie Barnard of diddi dance Winchester & Gosport and JoJo Sikking of diddi dance Woodford, Walthamstow & Surrounding.

We were stronger together at our first in person conference since 2019 which was just amazing, launched our fabulous clothing range and celebrated our 19th birthday.

We were proud to be nominated for various industry awards and to attend the British Franchise Awards as Lifestyle Finalist 2022 and were awarded the 5 Star Franchise Satisfaction for the 9th year running. To end the year we were listed in the Elite Franchise Top 100 Franchises for the 6th year running.

We have of course danced our way through the year with all our amazing diddi dance families, including at The Cambridge Club Festival, Camp Bestival Dorset and our first at Camp Bestival Shropshire, the CAA Kindness Week and Gabby’s Dollhouse diddi disco week.

A huge thank you to everyone who been part of our 2022! 

We wish you all a very Happy New Year and look forward to what 2023 will bring.

 

                               

 

diddi dance Attends the What’s On 4 Awards 2022 with Finalist diddi dance Central & North Liverpool & South Knowsley

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We had the pleasure of attending the What’s on 4 Kids Awards 2022 at a stunning venue at Mercedes Benz World. The event was headline sponsored by Morton Michel.

We are so proud of Kirsty from diddi dance Central & North Liverpool & South Knowsley who was a finalist in the Most Loved Music, Dance or Performing Art category, within her first year of being in business.

diddi dance sponsored the Most Loved Sports or Physical Activity Franchisor or Independent category – a huge congratulations to Winner Toddler Sense UK  and Highly Commended Tumble Tots – Kids Activities.

Congratulations to all the other fabulous winners on the night.

Kirsty from diddi dance Central & North Liverpool & South Knowsley attended the event with diddi dance founder Anne-Marie Martin, who also runs diddi dance Royal Borough of Greenwich & Lewisham. They were both looking very glamorous and they had the whole room up dancing – watch the reel to see what they got up to over on our facebook page! 💗💚💙

 

All About diddi dance Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas

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diddi dance franchisee Kristina who runs diddi dance Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas recently became fully accredited by the Children’s Activity Association. To read all about her recent achievement just click here.

Because of this success, we at diddi dance wanted to take the time to tell you all about Kristina and diddi dance Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas:

 

 

How long have you been with diddi dance?

I have been a franchisee for 3 years but a teacher for almost 11.

What did you do before joining diddi dance?

I have always taught dance since finishing my dance degree. I love teaching but feel like I found my forever job when I started teaching diddi dance. It makes me so happy.

What do you love most about diddi dance and running your own business?

I love the energy that each class brings. Seeing participants have fun and engage with the class. Watching them grow in confidence, ability and for many, grow from tots to heading off to big school!

I love that I can take diddi dance into different settings, locations and see the joy it brings. No matter what the morning, week, year is bringing those individuals – for 45mins they can just enjoy and have fun. A quote that has always stuck with me is “starting your day with a dance, makes the rest of the days steps a little lighter”

What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of diddi dance?

I love that I have been part of so many children’s journeys. The children that struggled to overcome nerves, shyness, separation from their grown ups – who were able to gain their confidence through my classes, and went off to school with a skip and a smile. That is an achievement for not just me, but that child, their families and their teachers. For others, it is the highlight of their week and I love them running into class and telling me about what they’ve been up to.

What has been a highlight for you since taking on your diddi dance?

The feedback from parents after our Halloween and Christmas parties last year. After the two years of restrictions we had overcome, I wanted to bring some fun and on both occasions had a full hall of smiling faces.

The parties were just awesome! So much fun to teach but also so rewarding to see all of the families having the best time together.

For me, that was exactly why I love diddi dance all in one session. Fun to teach, creative to put together, successful in a business sense but also rewarding, knowing that I was providing those families with a great experience for everyone.

What is something you are looking forward to as you continue with your diddi dance franchise?

Growing. I have a wonderful teacher but would love to find others with the same level of passion. Be able to take diddi dance to more venues, locations and stages… Alderfest 2023 for starters!

What do you enjoy most about your diddi dance?

I love that no matter what type of day I may be having, I am able to walk into a class and have a great time. I am able to proudly say I own a diddi dance franchise and can offer sessions, classes and parties to them – knowing that what we provide is the BEST quality!

What do you enjoy most about being your own Boss?

The flexibility to work around my family. And on those days where my children can come along – they do! Something I am passionate about is being able to share diddi dance with families that may not usually be able to access it for various reasons. I have started a journey very recently, seeking funding from large charities to be able to provide sessions within certain areas. This is something that is very time consuming and may not have been possible when working for someone else. I am hoping that I can get my passion for my business through the funding panels to see it come to fruition.

What does the CAA accreditation mean to you?

It feels like a huge pat on the back! Knowing that I can confidently say to early years settings, parents, schools that my business is doing everything we can to provide top quality provision. As the childrens activity market expands, with more and more provision for preschool ages than ever before, I am proud to have my accreditation to back me up, help me stand out from the crowd.

And finally, what is your favourite diddi dance theme and why?

I find this one so hard to answer because they are all great!!!

I love the diddi dancers moody faces and crossed arms in hip hop.

I love the grown ups getting into rave theme like we’ve rewound back to 1994

I love the jive song!

I love the country dance, and shouting yeehawww!!!

 

 

 

diddi dance Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas currently has multiple classes running across their exclusive area. Contact Kristina directly if you’d like to attend a class:

 

Wednesdays:

  • 10AM @ FUNZONE,  WHITCHURCH, WAYMILLS IND EST,  SY13 1TT9.45 AND 1.15 @ BANANA BENS,  WREXHAM,  LL13 7SU

Thursdays

  • 10.45 @ BARBOUR INSTITUTE,  TATTENHALL,  CH3 9PX11AM @ CHIRK BUNKHOUSE, SHEPHERD’S LANE,  LL14 5PG

Fridays

  • 9.45 @ ROSSETT VILLAGE HALL,  STATION ROAD,  WREXHAM,   LL12 0HE

diddi dance Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas 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 Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas 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 Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas’ 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 Kristina Jones and her franchise diddi dance Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas.

Over 200,000 children a week now attend a CAA member activity and it is a truly fantastic endorsement for diddi dance Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas to be part of this ground-breaking national initiative. Kristina’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.

Kristina took over diddi dance Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas in October 2019 and now runs numerous classes in the area, and is working really hard to make 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 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 Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas 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 Kristina’s success:

“Kristina is running an excellent franchise and its great seeing it growing so much. Having achieved gold now gives her customers peace of mind that she is running an ethical and responsible local business.”

Adding to this Kristina of diddi dance Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas said:

“It feels like a huge pat on the back! Knowing that I can confidently say to early years settings, parents, schools that my business is doing everything we can to provide top quality provision. As the children’s activity market expands, with more and more provision for preschool ages than ever before, I am proud to have my accreditation to back me up and help me stand out from the crowd.”

Congratulations again to Kristina and her franchise. If you would like more information about diddi dance Wrexham, Oswestry, Whitchurch & Malpas visit the Facebook page here or read all about them by clicking here

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