Celebrating 18 Years! Little Fizz Preschool Classes and Party Fizz Children’s Entertainment

I can’t believe that I am celebrating 18 amazing years of creating and running my multi award winning Baby/ Toddler Classes and Children’s Party Entertainment this year! I would like to thank all the parents, grandparents, carers and children who have joined in with the music and laughter over the years and to everyone who have shown such wonderful support and loyalty in so many ways! I am so grateful Team Fizz and to my family and to my friends for everything they have done - and to so many other people along the way for their support, advice, reassurance, encouragement – and patience. I would especially like to thank Cardiff Times for their incredible support over so many years –it means so much, especially over the last few years.

When I started my business in 2006, I was on Maternity Leave with my younger daughter, Daisy, who was 5 months old at the time. Initially I ran the sessions from home, and I have many happy memories of the early groups as we enjoyed time with out babies, shared laughter and problems and made lasting friendships and precious memories, Daisy is now 17 and studying Photography and some of my original ‘little ones’ are now at Uni! This should make me feel old, but I am lucky to have retained my health and energy and still LOVE what I do – I am regularly asked what batteries I have and what drugs I am on!

Classes became very popular very quickly – at rollercoaster speed! In 2006 Baby/Toddler Music and Movement Classes were considered a novelty with only 3 preschool classes running in Cardiff. Now there are numerous wonderful classes for parents to choose from and enjoy, and these play such an essential and valuable experience for parents and carers and their little ones; fun and learning, ideas for home activities, friendship and support from other parents, confidence building, socialization for little ones, structure to the day, magical shared moments, bonding, and memories to be treasured forever!

Within the first year of starting the business I was asked to provide Party Entertainment for Birthdays, Christenings, Family Celebrations, Weddings, and Charity Events. I worked hard to develop a winning formula of songs, activities, interactive games, sensory experiences, creative play, active learning and, most importantly, FUN! Then the events side of the business came along with our immensely popular annual Beach, Christmas, Easter and Halloween Parties please visit the website to see our Summer Party Timetable – we will be running through the school summer holidays!

I set up and organised my own Charity Event – the ‘NSPCC Teddy Bears’ Picnic’ - raising over £40,000 over the 10 years of running the event! I worked very hard to give back and volunteered for my time, skills and energy for many children’s charities, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital, Action for Children, Barnardo’s, Ronald McDonald House, Neo Natal Support, and many others. I became an NCT volunteer and helped raise over £30,000 whilst providing entertainment and support for so many events and initiatives. I will always continue to support these wonderful causes and do all I can to support children’s charities, as well as Community Events such as the fabulous Waterloo Gardens Fete and support local schools and community initiatives wherever and whenever I possibly can.

Within a few years of starting up I was overwhelmed by demand and Team Fizz was born. I have been privileged to be supported by some wonderful, talented, and committed team members over the years. Our current Fizz Team includes Hannah (with us 13 years!) the lovely Leah and the totally fabulous Emily who has been and continues to be a total legend – flying the Fizz Flag, bringing so much joy and so loved by so many families over the last 9 years. Emily is officially a total ROCKSTAR and has given 1000% to every class and party as well as being my rock and the best friend imaginable - and totally unimaginable! One of my most treasured memories is the What’s On 4 Kids Award Ceremony” where we won “Runner Up Best Party Entertainment in the UK” and I won the award for “Best Preschool Class Leader for Wales and West of England”. We were pictured with Sid from CBeebies smiling and laughing after arriving late to the ceremony due to fighting our way through storms and torrential rain in the “Fizz Wagon”, driven by Emily and, following the ceremony, partied the night away!

We survived the momentous challenges of Covid, lockdowns, continuous change and uncertainty. We kept going with the steep learning curve of online classes and stayed connected to our Little Fizz families. Times were tough – enough said. We were proud and extremely excited to be the first preschool class in Wales to restart in person classes, initially outdoors and then indoors. Navigating the Risk Assessments, continually changing Government Guidelines, lack of available venue, shifting guidelines, PPE implementation and adapting classes to achieve maximum fun and the best safety possible for our families was horrendously challenging. Despite this, the pure, unadulterated, and exceptional joy we witnessed and shared as our Little Fizz families were able to come together and experience happiness, togetherness, human interaction, and delirious exuberance was immense and overwhelming. There were so many tears of happiness, overwhelming emotion, and moments of pure ecstasy! We won one of my favourite awards at this stage from Wales Children’s Activities and Services Awards “Triumph Over Lockdown” – a once in a lifetime award!

As a team we are often asked how we manage to be happy and enthusiastic for every class and party and how we keep the attention of all the children. We are human and we do have bad days but are so very lucky when these days are transformed, at least temporarily, by the amazing interaction with the babies and children and their families. We LOVE to see and share the enjoyment of the music, movement, play, learning and excitement each class and party comprises of! We are so incredibly lucky to have met and continue meeting so many lovely parents, grandparents, and carers over the years, we feel so privileged to have spent such special time with you and your little ones. It is so wonderful to hear that the songs I have written and that have been enjoyed in class are played on repeat in the car, at home and to learn that family members have learnt the songs to sing with little ones despite never having been to any class! How amazing is that?!

I have always been proud to run an Independent Business and to know that I have created and developed every aspect of our classes and parties, themed half termly programs, songs, activities, games, exciting props ideas and so much more! In the last year we were extremely proud to win “Best Independent

Children’s Business in Wales” at the Wales Children’s Activities and Services Awards “ It has always been important that every aspect of each class and party is accessible and enjoyable for all children and that each child is respected and treasured as an individual. As a parent who has first-hand experience of additional needs, I am extremely passionate about making sure children and families with all additional needs can feel welcome and valued with us and, as a team, we have the skills, intuition, sensitivity, and love to provide the best possible experience for every child and family.

As I find myself 18 years into this roller coaster of a ride, I am looking forward to all our Summer Parties and, after much thought, I am excited to be franchising Little Fizz and Party Fizz so that more families can enjoy our classes and parties and we can spread Fizz love even further! All enquiries regarding becoming a franchisee are welcomed via email – liz@littlefizz.co.uk

You can find our Summer Party Timetable and book via the website, www.littlefizz.co.uk and we look forward to welcoming you! We can’t wait to see lots of our past and current Fizz Families and meeting new families too! We also have a busy Birthday Party Season coming up - from September to December - and have several bookings for 2024 so please don’t delay in getting in touch if you are planning a party. Here’s to the next 18 Years!