babyballet founder says sector collaboration was key to recent awards success

The children’s dance franchise has celebrated not just one but three award wins this month

babyballet founder, Claire O’Connor, has dedicated this success not only to the network but also to the amazing collaboration over the last 18 months with other children’s services franchises.

The first of the awards to be presented to babyballet was the What’s on 4 Kids ‘Most Loved Music, Dance or Performing Arts Activity Franchisor or Independent with 20+ Leaders Overall’. This award has now been won by babyballet an astounding three years running, which further confirms the network’s shared values and ethos of creating a dance experience for little ones that is both magical and educational.

The glittering awards ceremony held at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter also saw recognition for finalists Kate Markham of babyballet North Tyneside, Newcastle North and Gateshead West and Laura Watkins of babyballet Romford, Chelmsford, Brentwood and Billericay. Collecting the coveted ‘Remarkable Achievement within the Pandemic’ award, the judges said Kate and her team demonstrated a commitment to delivering engaging, magical and entertaining classes throughout the pandemic.

However, it was the third of the awards to be collected by babyballet in less than seven days where Claire spoke publicly about the importance of collaboration across the sector. Her fellow finalists for the WorkBuzz ‘Best Franchise in Children’s Services’ award at the annual British Franchise Association conference stood on stage before the winner was announced. Claire was joined by Anne-Marie Martin of diddi dance and Rachel Fay of Little Learners who have been supporting each other and their wider networks of franchisees throughout the pandemic.

“From the outside, you may consider our franchise brands and the services we deliver to be in direct competition with each other. But it’s been the continued support that has helped us navigate through what has been an exceptionally challenging period for our businesses and all the people we care about including our franchisees, teachers and customers,” explained Claire.

“We’re delighted to be celebrating such an amazing time for babyballet including winning the Best Franchise Award but it was a team effort that expanded wider than our wonderful world of babyballet. This last week has been a whirlwind of successes. Seeing equally brilliant people and franchises come together at two face-to-face events has highlighted that we have truly made it through one of the most difficult times in recent history together.

“These awards couldn’t have been won without the support from the wider community, so we share them with and dedicate them to the amazing people who devote themselves to our sector. As we look forward, we’re excited to see what the future holds for babyballet. But as a network of children’s services franchises, which is filled with passionate professionals, this collaboration marks a significant development for what the sector will look like as we continue to emerge from the pandemic.”