A business that runs exciting and educational experiences for families, schools and groups has been nominated in the Women’s Enterprise Scotland Awards .
Kids Gone Wild , founded by Lauren Riddell, has been nominated in the Start Up of the Year category in the awards being run along with Scottish Business Insider.
Launched in August 2018, the business has already welcomed more than 1000 people into its sessions in local woodlands in West Lothian.
Riddell took on two further instructors and collaborated with established businesses to boost her own business and build its brand. She believes children and woodlands need each other to thrive.
She said: “The more children learn about and enjoy their local woodland, the more they will respect it and take care of it.
“In the process of doing this they will reduce their screen time, learn new skills and improve their physical and mental health as well as benefiting the local environment and bringing communities together.”
Riddell, a qualified and experienced yoga teacher, runs the business with her partner Rob who is a qualified woodland leader and archery instructor.
She is also working towards a Masters in Education degree with the aim of adding value to the company’s programmes.
Kids Gone Wild has developed a programme that caters for children from two to 16 that includes bushcraft skills, fire lighting, whittling, plant and tree identification, animal tracking, yoga and meditation.
Since launching Kids Gone Wild has acquired its own office space, expanded into three venues for public sessions and has worked with Beavers and Brownies to teach leaders and students to achieve badges.
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Entries for the Women’s Enterprise Scotland Awards close on Friday 28 June.
There are nine other awards in addition to the Start Up Award. They are Best Rural Based Business, Growth Business, Invested Business, Innovator of the Year, Board Member, Best Social Enterprise and Business Leader, Emerging Business Leader and Business of the Year. You can enter yourself or nominate in the awards here: www.womensenterprisescotlandawards.co.uk .
The awards will be presented during a ceremony on Wednesday 18 September at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow.
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