It was 10 years ago that The Little Gym first came to London, and we can easily say there has been no looking back! Back then, if you told us about all the incredible people that we would meet, all the wonderful relationships we would develop, and how many staff and students we would see grow and prosper, we would not have believed it. Now, that dream is our reality!
Thirteen years ago, we (Ms. Mari, and Mr. Ed) had different careers. Our first child had just been born. In that first year of parenthood, our eyes were opened as to how much WE had to learn about what children were capable of! We were looking for a place where we could be educated as parents and our child could be entertained and learn while having fun (not realizing that they were learning). We could not find something that completely fit our needs. Fifteen months later, our second child arrived and we realized that we still hadn’t found “IT”.
One night, we got a pop up on our computer that asked “Have you thought about Children’s Education at The Little Gym?” We discovered that there were no locations in Canada. We did some research, visited their head office, and we were impressed from then on. This was exactly what we were looking for and it was what our kids needed. And if our kids needed this, then we knew others’ did too!
In September of 2005, we opened the first Little Gym in Sherwood Forest Mall with only four staff. Then, in November 2005, our third child arrived! Some readers might remember seeing her asleep in her car seat at the gym. Since then, we have taught thousands of students, employed many wonderful staff and have made some wonderful long-lasting relationships with many of you! Occasionally, we come across a child that we taught 10 years ago and seeing them floods us with wonderful memories! Now some of our former staff have families of their own and we have the pleasure of teaching them too!
We’d simply like to take a moment and say THANK-YOU. Thanks to our wonderful members who gave us a chance in London and have grown to love us! Thanks to the wonderful staff (currently 23 awesome team members) who have stayed with us for years and years and love to watch the kids grow and develop as much as we do! Thanks to our former staff and members who continue to tell friends and spread the word about the great things that happen with a child’s growth and development at The Little Gym! We are looking forward to another 10 years in Sherwood Forest Mall, and we look forward to teaching and watching thousands more students in the years to come!
‘Happy Handstands!‘
Story and photos submitted by The Little Gym of London
