In September 2023, The Little Coach House – a family run business, well regarded by educational settings for their award winning, sustainable learning resources - moved their operations to Unit 7a at Capital Park Beverley. Brooklands Property Holdings chat with Jane and Alan Todd about the Little Coach House’s exciting journey and their plans for its future.
The Founding of The Little Coach House
Six years ago, The Little Coach House was founded by a family of 3 boys and teacher mum with a vision for creating lasting educational products. The proceeding years saw the business flourish and the product range grow; taking inspiration from the founder’s teaching experience and the needs of their own family.
When the business changed hands in August it was to another family of 3 boys; Jane and Alan Todd bring with them a wealth of Early Years Education experience, and a dedication to continuing the vision upon which The Little Coach House was born.
Speaking to Jane about why the couple decided to take over the business, she explained,
“We were previously Nursery Owners, I was a Teacher, and Alan was a Mechanical Engineer. When we sold the Durham nursery we were looking for the right opportunity that worked with the family, built on our current knowledge and experience, but also provided us with a new challenge. We also thought the products were absolutely beautiful and should be in all schools and nurseries, and didn’t want all the hard work that had already gone into it to be wasted, should it not re-open.”
Sustainable Learning Resources.
The Little Coach House design and produce a successful line of high-quality sustainable learning resources for young children, with operations now taking place from their new location at 7a Capital Park, Beverley, East Yorkshire – a modern commercial development of premium light industrial and trade counter units, by Brooklands Property Holdings.
The learning resources designed and produced by the company are specifically aimed at children in the early years stages who are just beginning to enter into the world of education.
We asked whether Jane and Alan have any personal favourites, from their current product line, and Jane said,
“Alan loves the mindfulness boards! He also loves creating personalised name boards and loves the fact that no two are the same due to the wood grain. I love the seasonal products, at the moment the acorn fine motor boards and sorting trays and accompanying felt pumpkins and wooden acorns.”
In addition to families with young children, The Little Coach House provide their learning resources to primary schools, nurseries, childminders and pre-school settings. The testimonials they receive, through review sites such as Trust Pilot, are really positive.
Relocating to East Yorkshire
Brooklands Property Holdings is naturally a big advocate of the East Riding of Yorkshire, being headquartered at the stunning location of Hesslewood Office Park. So, we were interested to hear about Jane and Alan's recent relocation to the region, and what they like the most about living in the East Riding. They explained,
"We moved down in COVID to be near family who live here...we love the village community we have, the boys are settled at the local village school which we are now both Governors of. We are part of the local Church and involved at Beverley Minster, where my middle son is a Chorister and I lead worship for the weekly Café Church."
Talking about moving operation to Beverley, Jane explained what a difference it is already making to their lifestyle,
"After travelling 2.5hours to get to my business post-move, we decided the time was right to let go of our business in Durham and be close to home for the boys. Alan is excited by the fact it is cycling distance from home!"
Capital Park Beverley
As an independent investment and development company, Brooklands Property Holdings are proud to have built a dynamic portfolio of premium residential and commercial developments in prime locations across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Surrey, and our most recent development in Beverley is no exception.
The development at Capital Park Beverley offers a range of premium, grade A, multi-functional industrial and trade counter units. Having already attracted a range of national and local companies, Brooklands Property Holdings were delighted to welcome The Little Coach House into Unit 7, in September.
Unit 7 Capital Park Beverley is a speculative development that underscores our commitment to providing premium and practical commercial solutions, meeting the evolving needs of businesses in the 21st century.
Future Humber recently released an article about Brookland's £10 million investment in the development of Capital Park. Read more on that here.
We couldn't resist asking Jane and Alan what their favourite things are, so far, about working from Capital Park. Jane said,
"The team at Brooklands have been great, always easy to get hold of, and have taken a real interest in our business. Having a new unit has been great, and the kitchenette, toilet and 2 parking spaces make it work really well. We love the fact that light pours into the unit from the top windows."
We visited the Unit, earlier this week, and we couldn't agree more about all that light! Alan was a fantastic host and his passion for the products and the production process was infectious. As 'chief manufacturer', Alan makes all the wooden products from start to finish, with Jane taking charge of online sales and enquiries, packing and shipping, the website and social media channels.
Award Winning Products
The Little Coach House's number blocks range won the Gold Award in Junior Magazine's Junior Design Awards 2021- the UKs most prestigious accolade in the children's lifestyle space, according to Little Change Creators. This is what the judges had to say about The Little Coach House products:
"Stunning wooden toys that will be passed down through generations"
Bonita Turner, Editor of Junior
"Love the design and learning element" Bonnie Van Geel Stylist and Photographer @pepper.pics "The Little Coach House makes the most beautiful products and these are no exception!" Chloe Thurston, Founder @chloeuberkids
We were lucky enough to have a peek at many pieces from the current product range, during our visit. Aside from getting the senses delighted, with the scent of freshly sawn beech wood, one of the stand-out things for us is the company's focus on sustainability, with products clearly built to last.
The Little Coach House, moving forward
The whole team at Brooklands wish Jane, Alan and their boys every success. You cannot help but admire their passion and courage as they continue on what is surely an exciting journey, for The Little Coach House and the family. As they settle into Capital Park, we found ourselves wondering about their plans for the future of The Little Coach House. Jane told us what she would like to see,
"Increased awareness of our products so that more children have chance to use them at home or at nursery or school. When we have the current designs under our belts we are going to look at creating new products too!"
Reach Out
You can follow The Little Coach House on Facebook and Instagram or take a look at the full product range on their website.
Brooklands Property Holdings Ltd is a privately owned development and investment group focused on high quality office, retail, industrial and trade counter properties across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Surrey. Brooklands have a diverse base of occupiers including FTSE 100 companies and national and local businesses.
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