Bump & Boo Newsletter May 2020

Welcome the Spring edition of our Bump & Boo newsletter! Hello everyone from the strange new world we find ourselves in! First of all we hope you are all keeping safe and well. We have all had to cope with so much change in such a short time and we have been thinking of each and every one of you. We know anxieties have been high, everyone is missing their routine and loved ones and in many ways we are all grieving for life as it was just a few weeks ago. Whilst lockdown has brought some unexpected joys there is no doubt that is has been tough for us all. With that firmly in our thoughts, it is with an extremely heavy heart that we have decided to cancel our September Bump & Boo event at the Guildhall in Winchester. Sadly we both feel that life won’t be fully returned to normal in time to make September the event that both we want and you deserve for it to be. Both Catherine and her husband are nurses and have been told to expect at least 6 months of disruption and potentially even longer. Bump & Boo has been our baby, we have grown it and invested so much of ourselves into it whilst growing our own babies, and this decision has had a considerable emotional impact on us both. We wanted to ensure we offered clarity and consistency to everyone involved and therefore we have opted to make the decision to cancel now rather than potentially moving the date multiple times depending on the evolution of the government restrictions.  We have already made the decision that Bump & Boo at the Guildhall will come back with a bang in 2021 and we tell you now, it will be a massive celebration of survival, of love, community and support. Unfortunately our crystal ball is a bit hazy at the moment so we don’t know when exactly that will be, we’re hoping for February 2021 but we will be constantly reviewing and please be assured we will keep you all updated. Sarah has been diligently continuing to share content online and we will continue with our social media accounts as and when we can, so please do keep in touch and let us know if there is anything you would like us to share. There are some amazing things going on in this city right now! We are being conscious about the content we are putting out there at the moment and particularly sensitive to the fact that everyone is experiencing this situation completely differently.  We know some of you may be working hard to continue with your business ventures, some of you may have been forced to take a pause and be finding it difficult to know how you will breathe life back into your business, some of you may have transitioned your business and be navigating a new way of working online, some of you may be taking your business down a new path in the wake of the current situation... Whatever you have decided to do, we know you are all faced with tough decisions, new situations and undoubtedly new work hours. Childcare, for some, has disappeared, nap times may now be time for you to take a breath and have a break or time to focus on homeschooling or entertaining a pre schooler, evenings are no longer times you feel motivated to whip open your laptop and crack on with your to do list, everything has changed and you are grieving your old life and finding a way to survive in this new one. You are not supposed to be able to work it all out right away, you can't, we can't, but somehow we all will. We are hopeful that in the coming months we will find a way for Bump & Boo to evolve and offer alternative support to you and your families and we are sad that it has to take a pause in this way for now. Unfortunately both of us have lost our 'work' hours and we need to be kind to ourselves to ensure we can support and look after our families appropriately until we can find a sustainable way to work on Bump & Boo together. We are very much still here, at the end of a message, the end of an email, and when we can, we will let you know of new and innovative ways that we might be able to support you and your families in the coming months. We are not experts, we have no experience of how to survive this as a small business, or manage this as a parents of small children, or even deal with it as adults some days, but we know we are all in this together and that in time, we will hopefully be able to find a way.  Thankfully for now, we can offer the smallest glimmer of normality with our newsletter and if all else fails you can put your feet up with a cuppa in the sunshine and have a little read for just a few minutes (whenever you can manage to grab them!) This month, as originally planned, we bring you a great review of working with 2Spots Ceramics, a big hello from Laura at HexNex Jewellery and an introduction to the My VIP Card. We will continue to bring you newsletters and share and spread small business joy as and when we can. In the Spotlight Each newsletter we will be bringing you a review of one of our wonderful businesses and introducing you to a local business owner. This will cover our entire range of products, services, charities, groups and classes and will give a great insight into some of the amazing people we work with and the businesses they run! First, Sarah talks through her experiences of working with Sarah Pearson from 2Spots Ceramics who creates incredible family keepsakes. 2Spots Ceramics - Sarah Pearson This time four years we had a newborn. We had a 10 day old baby in the house, we were suddenly parents and we were feeling a little lost and unsure in our new roles. Although when she was born she was little and tiny and a totally gorgeous bundle of squishiness, I was overwhelmed in so many ways and quite unwell, so I was very anxious about wanting to capture every moment so that I didn't miss out and I could make sure I had happy memories. I took thousands of photographs, tried hard to ensure I was remembering everything, but with every day that passed she seemed to change and develop so quickly and as she reached a new milestone, memories of the previous stage quickly faded. It was a new and slightly unnerving world and one I knew nothing about but she was so precious, I wanted to find a way to keep her tiny for as long as I could! I first found out about 2Spots Ceramics through a friends recommendation. I popped on over to Sarah's website and discovered what an incredible talent she truly is! Her beautiful keepsakes capture moments in time in a way that is truly unique. Our first experience working with Sarah was doing a clay imprint of Elsie's hand and foot. I'm not going to lie, I was quite nervous. She was tiny! I was worried about what would happen if she cried, what if I had to feed her, what if she was asleep, I was in such a sleep deprived haze I didn't really know what to expect. We had an appointment at Sarah's house and she couldn't have made the experience a better one. Hot tea, a safe place, absolutely no judgement and a calm environment... what every new mother needs! Sarah has a lot of experience working with babies and children and, as a mother herself, is easy to talk to about to ups and downs of motherhood! I really had no need to worry, and Sarah created the most beautiful hand and foot print keepsake which proudly hangs in the kitchen in our house.  Since then we have visited Sarah a number of times. We took all the children to the BABIES Family Fun Day and created wonderful Christmas gifts for the grandparents, we have made numerous appointments at Leaf & Bean and created a special Mother's Day mug for me, a Star Wars themed Father's Day gift for Daddy, a very precious 90th birthday flower pot for Great Grandpa Bert, Christmas decorations, coasters and of course, Bertie now has his own hand and foot clay imprint. Sarah has captured so many moments as our family continues to grow and each one of the pieces we have from 2Spots Ceramics means so much to me. We will continue to make appointments (when we can!), come up with ideas and find new an innovative ways to remember a moment in time together. Sarah works tirelessly to create the most beautiful items and her designs and ideas are so special. We highly recommend Sarah and her wonderful business, 2Spots Ceramics. If you would like to find out more about Sarah and her work, follow her on Facebook, Instagram and check out her website! Sarah usually takes appointment bookings at her home in Colden Common and can be found on specific dates at Leaf & Bean in Winchester. Everyone should have a 2Spots Ceramics keepsake somewhere in their house... and when this lockdown is finally over and we are no longer social distancing, make sure booking an appointment is on your to do list! FB: https://www.facebook.com/2Spots/ Insta: @2spotsceramics Website: http://2spots.co.uk/ Next, we are delighted to introduce you to Laura who runs HexNex Jewellery! HexNex consists of just Laura, working from her desk at her home here in Winchester, always with her two little monsters somewhere nearby and normally causing trouble! After being made redundant from her role as Visual Merchandising Manager during the infamous collapse of BHS, she went full time into her small business and she has never looked back!  HexNex Jewellery began when Laura gave her young son one of her favourite bangles whilst sitting in a highchair in a pub, thinking it was indestructible and safe for him to play with. Less than 2 minutes later, he had managed to smash it into two pieces by dropping it on the floor, prompting her to begin a search for baby proof jewellery. Everything she came across was too babyish in its design - she felt like it looked like she was simply wearing a baby toy! Jewellery has always been a way in which Laura chooses to define herself and the designs she found were just not something she wanted to wear.  And so as a result, HexNex Jewellery was born! Laura is continuing to run her business during this time, following all of the necessary guidelines to enable you to still access her wonderful products. She is working tirelessly to expand her range, bring you wonderful collaborations and ensure that Happy Post can still make it's way through your letterboxes.  We highly recommend you having a look at Laura's necklaces, bangles, prints, muslins, teethers.... she has created a gloriously unique range of beautiful items and whether you have a new baby in the family who you are sadly unable to meet, a pregnancy announcement from a friend and you want to send them a virtual hug or you just want to treat yourself, HexNex is there for you and Laura is ready and waiting for your order. FB: https://www.facebook.com/hexnexjewellery/ Insta: hexnex_jewellery Website: https://www.hexnex.co.uk/ Have you heard about? My VIP Card! A new feature to our newsletter, introducing you to a business that is new to Bump & Boo and perhaps new to you too. My VIP Card was founded in Southampton in 2017 by fellow mum and small business owner Maddy. As a new mum, Maddy found herself looking for a way to make it easier and cheaper for parents to get out and about in the community with their little ones. As a new mother, she had recognised the importance of encouraging other mums to get out and about. My VIP card quickly became a hit with Hampshire residents, encouraging them to support local businesses, the high street and the community. With a My VIP Card, you can enjoy both local and national discounts and we have loved using our card to save money during lockdown and beyond on a wide range of local services. My VIP Card reflects the Bump & Boo ethos of working together, creating a supportive community and helping each other to grow. Locally, we have saved money at Flip Out Southampton, Sweet, The Toy Cupboard and even with Trainmaster in Winchester and Tumble Tots and Monkey Music too. Lots of lovely Bump & Boo businesses are on the card, and if you aren't and would like to know more then do give them a follow on Facebook or visit their website. It's currently free to advertise your business with My VIP Card and get a listing on their site and a local pin on their app so it is a great opportunity to all our parents who are also small business owners. You can also get free training to grow your business, free networking and exclusive business savings. The My VIP Card is currently just £25 for 2 years and with it, you can access over 4,500 discounts, you can make your money back in just a matter of weeks and save money on so many wonderful activities, supporting local businesses. They have also recently introduced a card specifically for key workers. For more information, pop over and give them a follow or have a look at their website! Maddy is working incredibly hard in these unprecedented times and has been a great supporter of Bump & Boo, so do find out more about the great work she is doing.  FB: https://www.facebook.com/myvipcard/ Insta: myvipcard1 Website: https://myvipcard.co.uk/about-us/ Thank you! We just want to say a massive thank you to all of the business owners and parents in the local community who continue to support Bump & Boo. We do have so many exciting plans which are bubbling away and as the year unfolds and we find out more about what is going to happen next we hope to find time to work on them and share them with you all. We are thrilled that so many of you are enjoying working with us and it is wonderful to see so many great collaborations, offers of support, giveaways, words of kindness and creative ways of keeping in touch! We hope you and your families are safe and well and look forward to a time when we can all be together again. Sarah & Catherine x We hope you have enjoyed reading our newsletter and we are pleased to have been able to update you on all things Bump & Boo.