Alex Lumsden spent years embedded in academy-level youth football training — and got tired of the pressures that particular route can place on kids. Knowing there’s so much more to the self-development and life skills that football can offer, he wanted to move into community-centric football.

Andy Hoang has a background in science teaching and learning technologies — and a lifelong love of LEGO. “The plan had always been to open up some sort of LEGO Robotics kids’ activity, but I had a stable job, kids and a mortgage to pay, so it had never come to fruition,” Andy shares. Then, during the Covid pandemic, he ended up working back in a school. “The only part of it I enjoyed was running my LEGO Robotics club. And I saw how bad computing education has got in schools. I thought: Wait a minute, I can make a living out of this. I really enjoy it. And I can make a difference in schools by taking in my knowledge and my kit.” That was 3.5 years ago, and Andy’s business Beyond Blocks has grown quickly since. From just two kids in their first term, they were running four full classes within a year. Fast forward to now, and Beyond Blocks has a team of four teachers, runs after-school clubs in London schools and other venues, and runs daytime sessions for schools as part of the curriculum. They do events, too: full-day sessions during schools’ coding weeks across the UK, plus corporate events. All getting kids — and adults — involved in programming, engineering and design through LEGO.

Maree Waller runs Musical Bumps Croydon, offering music sessions for babies, toddlers and preschoolers across her London neighbourhood. In her local church hall, nurseries, children’s centres and preschools, her sessions support language development through song and musical play. As children engage and happily sing along, their social and emotional development is supported, too.

Tennis has always been in Stephen Wright’s life: a talented player growing up, he started his coaching career aged 17 — and hasn’t stopped. “I don’t think I ever will, either,” he says. “As long as I’m still enjoying it, I’ll be doing a couple of hours on the court.” In fact, sportiness runs in the family. Stephen’s sisters Bethany and Sophie run The London Ballet Company, which is also loving life on Pebble.

Founded in 2014, Healthy Kidz is Northern Ireland’s leading physical activity coaching provider. “We’re here to help every child achieve their best possible state of wellbeing,” explains CEO Chris Cousens, through their flagship PE programmes, after-school clubs and holiday camps. “We run our programmes from 4 years old, and we see the knock-on effect of growing up healthily from that young age. Healthy kids become healthy adults, who have healthy families, who make healthy communities and a healthy society.”

Since 2013, Primary Education has been delivering quality PE sessions in schools across Essex and Hertfordshire. “We work with primary and secondary schools, running after-school and extracurricular sessions for them,” says Michael Richardson, the company’s Managing Director.

“MAMA.codes was born out of my experience as a parent, trying to navigate this new world of coding being on the school curriculum from age 5. And, having worked in digital and tech myself, trying to understand what that looks like for tiny children,” says Liane Katz, co-founder and CEO of the award-winning coding school for kids aged 3-13.

In 1993, María Torres Giron, CEO & Founder of Olé Spanish, arrived in England. The original plan was to stay for a year and perfect her language skills, rounding out the English-teaching degree she’d done in Spain. But plans have a habit of changing: María met a tall, charming young man. And now she’s been in the UK for 30 years.

Founded in 2010, The London Ballet Company was originally focused on providing performance opportunities for professional dancers. But the founder, Sophie Wright, soon saw chances to offer quality training earlier in dancers’ lives, launching holiday intensive programmes, an associates programme and a TLBC dance school in Wimbledon, London.

The Titans FA was founded in 2012 by Charlie Dainty, who recognised football’s power to teach more than technical skills. Coached right, it’s a framework to set kids up for life, too, teaching them social skills, teamwork and commitment, as well as encouraging self-confidence and a solid work ethic.