Sandy has a background in early years education, having worked as a nursery teacher (including SEND) and as a performer. She has also worked in groups and in one-to-one situations supporting parents and carers.

She is trained in acting and physical theatre, having performed, directed and devised many theatre shows and interactive storytelling shows for young children and their adults. These performances have taken place in theatres, arts festivals, schools, children’s centres, libraries and museums.

Using storytelling as a base, 25 years ago, she began developing and delivering drama workshop programmes for 3-7 year olds as well as sessions for parents/carers and their toddlers. This weaving together of early years work with drama and performance has proven a very beneficial blending of education and the arts.

At the heart of all Sandy’s performing and drama facilitation is a belief in the transformative power of playfulness and the desire for people to emerge more confident, livelier and with a greater sense of agency and connection.

What a delight it was for Sandy to meet Leia and discover someone who shared such a similar approach and vision for facilitating self-expression, communication and the wellbeing of young children and their adults. A kindred spirit is a joyful find!

Leia is a qualified Therapeutic Wellbeing Practitioner for children, young people & families. Specialising in early years, with 14 years of early years experience working in a variety of settings, including primary schools, children’s centres and private nurseries.

She has key-worked emotionally vulnerable young children facilitating the development of the child’s self-awareness, self-esteem, self-confidence, communication and social skills, emotional regulation, self-concept, agency, motivation, resilience and recovery to support the child in reaching their full potential.

Leia recognises parents’ and carers’ huge influence on their children’s emotional development and is passionate about facilitating the bonding and nurturing of parent-child relationships through every child’s language – play.

For Leia, it was a true meeting of minds between her and Sandy who are both dedicated to nurturing children’s emotional wellbeing through drama and storytelling. Leia, like Sandy, loves getting in touch with her own inner-child through creativity and play while providing a safe creative therapeutic space for children (and parents too!) to express themselves.

Leia trained with the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education. She is also a licenced Attachment Play Practitioner, trained by Clear Sky Children’s Charity to carry out their Baby Bonding, Toddler Bonding and Heart to Heart parent-child programmes, developed by Debi Maskell-Graham. Leia is also trained in using the Helicopter Stories approach.