We're proud of our network of partners including companies, schools and research institutes.

About Us

Partnerships

Our story is in its early stages, but there's already plenty to share, from the projects that formed the foundation of ootiboo to the people bringing it all to life.

The Team

Our beginnings

Funding

**ootiboo advisory board member**

Farshore is a division of HarperCollins UK and is one of the largest dedicated children’s imprints within the UK market. Through our international sales operations in both export and foreign language rights we ensure that our books are enjoyed by young readers in English and in translation right across the world.

Farshore’s mission is to make every child a proud reader through a broad and diverse portfolio of books that offers multiple ways into the joy of reading. We publish child-friendly books for all ages and genres, from picture books, fiction and non-fiction by household authors and illustrators, including Michael Morpurgo, Lemony Snicket, Julia Donaldson, Matt Lucas, Jim Smith, Laura Ellen Anderson, Sophy Henn, Chris Packham and Michael Grant; to classic properties and the hottest popular culture brands, including _Minecraft_, _Winnie-the-Pooh_, _Mr. Men Little Miss_, _Thomas & Friends_, _Disney Princess_, _The Beano_, _My Little Pony_ and _Tintin_.   
  
We are recognised for conducting unique consumer research and applying market insights to understand the role of reading within modern family life and to better position and publish books to reach every possible child reader. Through our insight, we understand that encouraging children to buy and enjoy books is not just a commercial imperative, it is a vital economic, inclusive and societal mission too, with children who develop a love of reading enjoying greater life chances as adults.   
  
We aim to inspire reading for pleasure for all ages, from the most reluctant readers to the most enthusiastic. Whether it’s a popular brand brought to life on the page or a brilliant new series by a debut author, Farshore brings a vast range of diverse stories and amazing worlds to children and teens.   
  

Find out more at [**farshore.co.uk**](https://www.farshore.co.uk)

Farshore

Valentina Kristensen, Corporate Affairs Director at OakNorth.

“Financial literacy is vital for ensuring individuals can plan for their future, make better decisions about what to do with their money, and avoid going into unmanageable debt. That is why we’re delighted to be supporting the important work ootiboo is doing with hundreds of young children through the Why Money Matters project. The younger kids are when they get exposure to this, the better off they’ll be in the long term.”



[**OakNorth**](https://oaknorth.co.uk/) was founded in September 2015 with one fundamental purpose: to serve and empower small-to-medium sized businesses (£1m-£100m turnover) that were seeking to scale but were routinely underserved or overlooked by traditional banks (what OakNorth call “scale-ups”).

OakNorth's founders, Rishi Khosla and Joel Perlman, had experienced this first-hand while scaling their previous company - Copal. In 2005, three years after launching that business, they applied for a bank loan and the computer said no, despite their business being profitable and having strong cashflow. As entrepreneurs, their response was to build the digital bank for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs, ensuring businesses like they had been get access to much-needed credit and personalised banking services they need to succeed and scale.

As a business focused on serving and empowering scale-ups, OakNorth is driven by a strong social purpose. These businesses create jobs, boost productivity, drive innovation, and help increase GDP. To reinforce the positive impact they have on communities and the economy, OakNorth donate 1% of our group profits to supporting charitable causes and socially minded enterprises around the world. This is a formal commitment they have made every year since 2018, though they have been supporting charitable causes and socially minded enterprises since inception.

In addition to their financial commitment, OakNorth also offer 1% of our team’s time to carry out volunteering and fundraising work for charities, provide pro bono support, and offer formal mentoring via Programmes such as that described above. The combination of these activities is what they call their 1+1% commitment.

We are incredibly appreciative of OakNorth's support. Their help with our <a href="https://play.ootiboo.com/projects/little-experts" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Little Experts: Why Money Matters</a> project is allowing us to build bigger and better than ever before. With their support we are able to reach many more schools, and educating so many more kids on the importance of financial wisdom and savvy spending decisions. And we are extremely excited to have a real bank logo appearing on our ootibloons!

OakNorth Bank 

Liam Nolan, Head of Communications at the Chidren's University

“ootiboo is a perfect fit as a Children’s University partner. Their projects are fun, engaging, and make learning accessible and easy. Having ootiboo onboard with Children’s University is a no brainer – we all see the benefit in creative projects beyond the classroom!”

[Children's University](https://www.childrensuniversity.co.uk/) is a programme for encouraging, tracking, and celebrating participation in learning beyond the classroom. By the time a child turns 18 they will have spent just 9% of their waking life within a classroom. Children’s University is all about unlocking the potential for learning, skills development, and positive change in the remaining 91% of time. Any kind of activity that is voluntary, fun, and has elements of structured learning can count towards a Children’s University award – including many of our great ootiboo projects!

 Children aged 5 and above can take part either through their schools, or by signing up for an online subscription. Each year around 100,000 children in the UK take part in activities as part of Children’s University! There is robust evidence that taking part in Children’s University and engaging with informal learning has a positive impact on both attainment within the classroom, and skills development. For more information, visit [childrensuniversity.co.uk](https://www.childrensuniversity.co.uk/)

Children’s University have validated a number of ootiboo projects, meaning that participants can collect Children’s University stamp codes for taking part. Just look out for the Children’s University logo across our site, and email us evidence of your activities to be sent a stamp code in reply. Here at ootiboo we will be working with Children’s University to share and develop new projects. Whether you take part in Children’s University alone as a subscriber, or as part of your school, there’s plenty to do.

Children's University

Conor Warren CEO & Founder, Spark UK

Creativity is a huge tool in supporting mental wellbeing. We love working with ootiboo to create projects to bridge the gap between creativity and mental wellbeing.

Together we can continue to help bring education around mental wellbeing into the classroom through creative projects.

Spark UK is a mental health organisation run by young people for young people. 
Their aim is to ‘Spark the conversation around mental health’ by creating a range of resources, lessons and campaigns for approximately 300 schools across the UK. Run entirely by teenagers, the organisation aims to spark important conversations around wellbeing and mental health in a relatable, informative and engaging way.

Spark creates free-to-use lessons for both primary and secondary schools on important topics like Gratitude, Anxiety and Self Care. Working with Devon-based Illustrators, Flossy & Jim, they have created eight quick self-care acts to support young people and families to look after their mental health.

Spark UK also runs All Star Advent, an annual campaign inviting celebrities to talk about mental
health for charity. Each day in December celebrities including Dame Judi Dench, Bear Grylls
and Stephen Fry recorded mental health tips of the day to raise money for Spark UK, Place2Be
& Papyrus. The campaign reached over 20,000 people in the month and was promoted on Sky
News & BBC.
 
Spark UK was founded in December 2020 by Conor Warren, a now 17-year old, mental health
advocate, public speaker and A-Level student. The team also consists of Bridie Downing,
Joseph Carter, Tegan Phillips, Noah McNamara and Kaia Bond.
 
For more information on Spark UK, head to <a href="https://www.sparkuk.co.uk " target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sparkuk.co.uk </a> or follow them on Instagram
<a href="https://instagram.com/sparkteens" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">instagram.com/sparkteens</a>

Spark UK

LHB Nurtures is a social enterprise dedicated to helping children express their thoughts and feelings through engaging and enjoyable activities.

[Laura Helen Brown](https://play.ootiboo.com/about-us/our-team/laura-brown), the founder of LHB Nurtures, is a globally recognised and award-winning advocate for children's mental health. With a master’s degree in art and extensive experience in corporate well-being, Laura combines her expertise to create innovative resources for children's emotional development.

During the UK COVID-19 lockdowns, Laura used her unique experience to support her eight-year-old nephew. Inspired by this experience, she created 'My Emotions Activity Book,' a tool that provides a safe space for children to communicate their feelings to adults. This book reflects Laura's commitment to making mental health resources accessible and impactful.

Freely available to print, the book has been embraced and endorsed by numerous prominent childcare professionals in the UK and around the world. It is used in hospital wards, youth groups, police custodial settings, safe houses, school classrooms, community outreach programs, displacement accommodations, and more. The widespread use of the book highlights its effectiveness and the trust it has earned within various professional communities.

Additionally, the book has been translated into Ukrainian, French, and Spanish to meet growing demand. These versions are now assisting unaccompanied children who have experienced trauma, aiding their efforts to rebuild their lives in the United States, particularly in New York City with Mobilization for Justice, as well as in remote villages in Ukraine to support children through the traumas of war.

Laura is excited to launch collaborative partnership lesson plans with ootiboo for home and school, using characters and insights from ‘My Emotions Activity Book.’ This represents a first-of-its-kind initiative in the journey of the activity book, further expanding its reach and impact.

Laura's dedication to children's mental health showcases the power of creativity and empathy in addressing complex emotional challenges. She is excited to create more impactful emotional literacy resources through LHB Nurtures with experts like the team at ootiboo.

Connect with Laura: Laura@lhbillustrations.co.uk

LHB Nurtures 

Canterbury Christ Church University has particular research specialisms in Animation, Digital Design, Gaming, Film, Music Production, Photography, and Television. It is experienced working with organisations to collaborate, innovate and carry out research that addresses specific problems.&nbsp;With a focus on moving images, including editing, post-production, and immersive technologies, Hi3 Network is a community of experimentation and innovation for all industries. It supports the exploration of new digitised products, services, or entertainment for their customers, in addition to developing existing ones into new products for their company or, more excitingly, the market. Find out more at <a href="https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">canterbury.ac.uk</a>

Canterbury Christ Church University

Louise Mercieca, Nutritional Therapist, The Health Kick 

I love how ootiboo uses creativity to encourage learning and empowerment of children. This fits perfectly with my vision that all children should be educated and informed of their own role biology and health - hopefully together we can help shape the health of a generation.

Founded in 2011 by [Louise Mercieca](https://play.ootiboo.com/about-us/our-team/louise-mercieca), The Health Kick started with personal training then moved into 1:1 nutrition therapy before falling into Early Years in 2018 on the back of Louise's book _How Food Shapes Your Child_.

Louise says "I feel the best way to help to shape the health of the next generation is via education. Education enables empowerment. Food doesn’t just fill us up it shapes our every movement, action and emotion."
 
The Health Kick run online courses, early years consultancy and training, and menu development. Louise has written articles, hosted a podcast and appeared on Teacher Hug Radio and as a food judge for The Nourish Awards.

The Health Kick have provided expert nutritional consultancy on our Healthy Unicorns project, providing guidance on the latest research into nutrition and healthy choices for your children.

The Health Kick

An innovative series of children’s books, written by <a href="https://play.ootiboo.com/about-us/team/holly-wadsworth-hill" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Holly Wadsworth-Hill</a>, and illustrated entirely by the child.
 
Picture-This Books™ encourage imagination, creativity, and kindness; they celebrate diversity and original thought, the joy of childhood and the wonder of difference.
 
Children read (or listen to) the magical stories once through – ideally with a grown-up, before going back to the start of the book, re-reading and adding their illustrations, one page at a time.
 
A 2-in-1 story and activity book, Picture-This Books™ help to develop comprehension skills, by inviting children to draw what they read or hear. The stories themselves are open to interpretation and give imaginers the chance to integrate their world with one of fiction.
 
Picture-This Books™ are committed to being anti-racist, pro-gender equality, supportive of all marginalised groups, and free choice, in all its forms. Everything about Picture-This Books™ focuses on the individual child, rather than an “accepted normal”.
 
Affirmations are included in all Picture-This Books™ and are used to guide, reassure, and promote focus and problem-solving. This, coupled with the act of illustrating the story as they read, makes Picture-This Books™ an age-appropriate mindfulness practice to encourage calm and connection. Picture-This Books™ are frequently used in children’s yoga
and mindfulness classes. Parents also report that they help to alleviate after-school restraint collapse.
 
No two finished Picture-This Books™ will ever be the same – just like the children illustrating them. Holly has workshopped Picture-This Books™ in a room full of 100+ children – no two children draw exactly the same thing. It might be subtle, it might be substantial – either way, the difference is always there, and it’s something to treasure.
 
For each book sold, a second is donated to charity and gifted to a child. 
Imagine better, with Picture-This Books™
 
Find out more at <a href="https://picture-thisbooks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">picture-thisbooks.com</a>

Image

Picture-This Books™

The Works is the UK’s leading family friendly retailer of value gifts, arts, crafts, toys, books and stationery. Our four zones of products are made to show our customers what they can ‘do’ and empowering them to do it.&nbsp;<h3>Toys &amp; games</h3>Toys &amp; Games covers both kids and family games. It is a ‘one stop shop’ for a range of kids’ favourites, from the latest crazes to a wide range of toys, jigsaws and big brand games. This zone also features our important education range supporting children’s development.&nbsp;<h3>Arts &amp; crafts</h3>Our Arts, Crafts and Hobbies Zone comprises a wide selection of paints, brushes, art sets, paper, canvas and craft kits that cater for the needs of beginners to experts, alongside a complementary book offer to further inspire our artistic and crafty customers. Our buying expertise allows us to offer fantastic value for money across the whole range and is further supported by a well curated range extension online.&nbsp;<h3>Stationery &amp; seasonal</h3>Our Stationery selection includes high-quality fashion notebooks, writing sets, storage boxes and address books, all under our own brand, Paper Place. These sit alongside our big brands offer such as Bic, Helix, Xerox and Pukka. Our Scribblicious range includes trendy pens, pencils, pencil cases, and storage solutions suitable for all ages. We have everything to make birthdays, Christmases and other family occasions really special.&nbsp;<h3>Books</h3>A great selection of Kids and Adult books for all ages are on offer, from best-selling fiction paperbacks to the very latest in non-fiction publishing.&nbsp;Find out more at <a href="https://www.theworks.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">theworks.co.uk</a>&nbsp;

The Works

Nikki at The Natural Crayon Company

We were thrilled to collaborate with ootiboo on their recent [Tales from the Forest](https://play.ootiboo.com/projects/tales-from-the-forest) project. To work with a company really thinking about the impact of the project from an environmental perspective was extremely refreshing and to then be promoting this impact with schools and pupils and putting this important topic at the front of their minds was really exciting to see. We love working with ootiboo and being able to promote a company that shares our core values of sustainability and exploring creativity and mindfulness in children through art.

[The Natural Crayon Company](https://www.thenaturalcrayon.co.uk/) offer an eco alternative to the traditional paraffin wax crayon using natural waxes and food grade pigments.

They focus on eco-friendly and vegan art materials for kids; all are handmade from scratch using carefully sourced, sustainable raw materials and food grade pigments, and now include paints and pavement chalks too.

Even the packaging is eco-consciously chosen to try and reduce its environmental impact. There's no plastic and all product boxes and wraps are made from FSC / 70% recycled materials.

The Natural Crayon Company have kindly given us a 10% discount code for you to use if you'd like to purchase your own eco-friendly art supplies: **ootiboo10**

We love The Natural Crayon Company's products and their eco-friendly sensibilities. Working with them on Tales from the Forest made complete sense, and the kids from the schools we worked with loved the eco-friendly crayons we sent out. We're proud to be associated with this fabulous company.

The Natural Crayon Company

[Curiosity Corner](https://curiositycorner.co.uk/) Sensory Dough is a husband and wife team from Yorkshire. 

Their handmade, eco-friendly sensory dough is silky soft and beautifully scented, without the plastic, chemical scent of supermarket play dough. Made with only the highest quality, non-toxic, food-grade ingredients, it's been through rigorous safety tests completed independently at a lab, and they're UKCA-tested too.

Passionate about reducing single use plastic, Curiosity Corner have worked hard to ensure their products are eco-friendly, using only reusable or recyclable materials (Including packaging materials). The sensory dough can even be composted once it’s past its best!


Curiosity Corner very kindly volunteered some fabulous prizes as part of the Easteroo 2024 competition; ootiboo love everything about Curiosity Corner, from their ethos to their innovative products.

We also have a 10% discount code for you to use if you'd like to purchase your own eco-friendly sensory dough and potion kits : **ootiboo10**

Curiosity Corner

[MoMa UK](https://www.moma.co.uk/) is an online ‘Museum of Many Artists’ featuring a hand picked selection of art competitions, creative resources and contemporary artists.

Always keen to encourage creativity in children our [Children’s Art Competitions page](https://www.moma.co.uk/childrens-art-competitions/) is continually updated with painting, drawing, sculpture and photography contests.

You can find MoMa at their website and [weekly newsletter](https://moma.substack.com/) on Substack or on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/momagb/).

MoMa

Hi3 Network aims to connect Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with researchers and experts from a cross-section of creative industry organisations. The project is free and can support any SMEs within England, no matter what industry, no matter how mature the business. The project is a gateway for businesses to adopt new immersive technologies, collaborate with other companies in the region, and network with industry leaders from BAFTA and BFI. The network is partnered with Creative Folkestone, Screen South alongside Maidstone Studios, London Southbank University, and Canterbury Christ Church University. Its geography is strategically designed to maximise engagement with the creative industries across the Southeast of England to capitalise on London's notable creative drift out to the coastal communities.&nbsp;Find out more at <a href="https://www.sbi.business/hi3/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sbi.business/hi3/home</a>

Hi3 Network

<h2>What is Artsmark?</h2>
 Artsmark is the only creative quality standard for schools and education settings accredited
by Arts Council England. Offering a clear framework to plan, develop and evaluate arts,
culture and creativity across the curriculum, Artsmark has reached over 1.9 million children
and young people across more than 4,000 registered settings, with nearly 2,200 awarded
settings to date. 
 <h2>ootiboo and Artsmark</h2>
 Supporting schools with Artsmark and partnering with Artswork is very important for us
here at ootiboo. Artsmark focus on working with forward-thinking companies who are open
to development - something we have always been, and we’re glad they think we are too!
Some of the ways in which we continually strive for excellence and innovation in all we do
include:
 
<ul>&#x2022; Our exciting, inspiring, and engaging projects – Our Propa Happy project had 20,000
viewers streaming the launch show with Ant and Dec.</ul>
 
<ul>&#x2022; Our commitment to inclusivity; we ensure our projects are positive for all children
and all ages, and our projects will always be free for kids to take part in, so that
financial considerations never stop someone embracing their creativity with us.
Children are actively involved at all stages of our projects; this gives the children
involved a sense of belonging as they know that their ideas are valued.</ul>
 
<ul>&#x2022; The high value we place on the arts and culture through investing in our staff and
young people.</ul>
 
<ul>&#x2022; Our focus on diversity, which has a positive impact on the children engaged in our
projects.</ul>
 
<ul>&#x2022; An appreciation for building long-lasting relationships with arts and cultural
organisations.</ul>
 
By creating projects and resources that promote the arts and culture through enhancing
schools’ curriculums, we give the children the opportunity to progress and authentically
take their skills forwards. For our <a href="https://play.ootiboo.com/projects/my-imaginary-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">My imaginary world</a> project, we teamed up with <a href="https://play.ootiboo.com/about-us/partnerships/canterbury-university" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Canterbury Christ Church University</a> to give children the opportunity to use their skills in a setting outside of
their own school. We also have some great after-school projects, like the <a href="https://play.ootiboo.com/projects/mr-men-little-miss-discover-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mr. Men Little Miss: Discover You</a> project – by taking part in this, schools can contribute to their own
Artsmark.

Artsmark

Kinnerton

ootiboo advisory board member&nbsp;Based in Morden, Surrey, <a href="https://www.hillcross.merton.sch.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hillcross Primary School</a> joined ootiboo in June 2022.

Hillcross Primary School

ootiboo partner school&nbsp;Based in the village Brabourne in Ashford, Kent <a href="https://www.brabourne.kent.sch.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Brabourne C of E Primary School</a> joined ootiboo in October 2023.

Brabourne C of E Primary School

ootiboo advisory board member&nbsp;Based in London, <a href="https://www.fairlawn.lewisham.sch.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fairlawn</a> joined ootiboo in October 2021.

Fairlawn Primary School

ootiboo advisory board member&nbsp;Based in London, <a href="https://www.bishopgilpin.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bishop Gilpin Church of England Primary School</a> joined ootiboo in July 2022.

Bishop Gilpin C of E Primary

ootiboo advisory board member&nbsp;Based in London, <a href="https://www.koinoniafederation.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Koinonia CE Schools Federation</a> joined ootiboo in September 2022.

Koinonia CE Schools Federation

ootiboo advisory board member&nbsp;Based in Folkestone, Kent, <a href="https://www.stpetersfolkestone.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">St Peter's Church of England Primary School</a> joined ootiboo in June 2022.

St Peter's C of E Primary School

Based in London, <a href="https://www.koinoniafederation.com/page/?title=St+Mary+Magdalene+C+of+E+School+%28Secondary+Penisula%29&amp;pid=7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">St Mary Magdalene CE School Peninsula</a> joined ootiboo in September 2022.

St Mary Magdalene CE, Peninsula

Based in Greenwich, London, <a href="https://www.koinoniafederation.com/page/?title=Christ+Church+C+of+E+Primary+School&amp;pid=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christ Church Primary School</a> joined ootiboo in September 2022.

Christ Church Primary, Greenwich

Based in London, <a href="https://www.koinoniafederation.com/page/?title=St+Mary+Magdalene+C+of+E+School+%28Primary+Woolwich%29&amp;pid=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">St Mary Magdalene CE School Woolwich</a> joined ootiboo in September 2022.

About us

The Team

Partnerships

Our beginnings

Funding

The Team

Partnerships

Our beginnings

Funding

Farshore

OakNorth Bank

Children's University

Spark UK

LHB Nurtures

Canterbury Christ Church University

The Health Kick

Picture-This Books™

The Works

The Natural Crayon Company

Curiosity Corner

MoMa

Hi3 Network

Artsmark

Kinnerton

Hillcross Primary School

Brabourne C of E Primary School

Fairlawn Primary School

Bishop Gilpin C of E Primary

Koinonia CE Schools Federation

St Peter's C of E Primary School

St Mary Magdalene CE, Peninsula

Christ Church Primary, Greenwich

St Mary Magdalene CE, Woolwich