Earlier this week, the This is Haslemere team had the pleasure of meeting Rebecca, the owner of Party Arty 1, the town's newest local business. 

Rebecca set up the business just last year after stepping down from her teaching role at a local school. However it is clearly already proving a real success. For the past 12 months, Rebecca has been running popular art classes in local venues such as Haslemere's Coppa Club and Mill Tavern although she ventures as far afield as Bath for some events. Her Paint & Sip classes have proved extremely popular and she has also run a number of children's parties and sold out holiday clubs.

We have to say that Rebecca's holiday clubs sound great fun. Whilst the focus is on art and creativity, it's not just about sitting with a paintbrush or pen in hand. Far from it. Clubs mirror the structure of a school day, with plenty of opportunities to get creative as well as flexibility for children to get stuck in to different activites that may appeal. These include group games, yoga, water play, jigsaws, playdough, reading books and much more.

The road to success has not always been smooth though. Rebecca has clearly had to work really hard to get to where she is today and the opening of her incredible art space at 13A Lower Street. She laughingly told us about her very first classes when, over 4 days, only 7 people turned up! But, thanks to lots of hard work, things have changed since then so that her latest classes over Easter were all fully booked.

Rebecca told us that Party Arty 1 allows her to combine over 20 years of teaching experience in early years with her passion for art. Whilst she loved teaching in mainstream schools, she felt that over the years the schooling system had become more focused on academic learning and core subjects. As a result, she felt that there was less and less time and emphasis on the importance of the arts, creative play and the freedom for exploration, all of which she feels are all hugely beneficial, especially in children.

It's clear that Arty Party 1 has changed all that. As a mum to 3 girls (aged 8, 21 and 24), Rebecca has certainly seen her fair share of colour, glitter and party fun but she is excited to now share her passion with an even wider audience at her new venue at 13A Lower Street. She is brimming with new ideas and is passionate about inspiring a new generation with a love of art. 

Going forward, she will have a Saturday morning art class from 9.30 to 10.30 aimed at 4-11 year olds as well as a session for those being home schooled on a Friday morning. She already has an after school art club in Grayswood on a Monday and will continue this going forward. There will be another after school club on a Thursday and she expects that most weekends will be filled with parties. She's already looking at running an evening class for older children too. And we were excited to hear she is toying with the idea of bringing a Christmas grotto this December!

Those attending her term time classes will find that a lot of thought has gone into the sessions. Rebecca picks a topic for the term (the latest is underwater animals) and the artwork will all feed into this.

Rebecca is not just a smart businesses woman. She definitely has a big heart too. She has worked with Shooting Star children's hospices for a while and has lots of ideas about how she may help others locally in the future. For example, she is already lookig at how she can open up classes within the local community to those that may otherwise not have the opportunity to get involved. 

We wish Rebecca all the success in her new venture. In the meantime, if you'd like to book Rebecca for your next child's birthday party, these currently include jewellery making, slime, magical potions and art. But she is always happy to create something truly besopke and unique for the birthday girl or boy!

Get in touch with her via her website.