Gymboree UK News
Hello from Gymboree, the UK’s highest quality classes for 0-5s.
January 2012: St Albans opens!
Gymboree St Albans officially opened its doors on Monday 23 January to lots of new Gymboree children! All of this week grown ups and little ones are trying out Play & Learn and Music classes in the brand new location – with over 300 people coming through the doors to meet Gymbo! Congratulations to new owner Susie and her staff; we are sure all the families will have loads of fun!
January 2012: Tommy’s Voting Opens! 
Voting has officially opened for the Tommy’s Awards 2012 – where Gymboree is shortlisted as Best Children’s Activity Provider! Which companies across the UK do YOU think are helping to make the lives of parents and carers easier, and providing a high quality experience for children and adults? Gymboree believe that they are, but we need your VOTE!
Tommy’s are a children’s charity dedicated to research into the causes of premature birth, stillbirth and miscarriage, and providing support and information for parents on issues relating to pregnancy. Their Awards every year recognise and acknowledge the efforts made by companies for parents and carers…. and Gymboree need your vote!
Please visit: http://www.tommys.org/awards
We look forward to hearing the results when voting closes on the 20th February 2012.
January 2012: Fundraising Galore!
Gymboree has been hard at work for the last few months starting fundraising for its chosen charity of the year: Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. Parties and events have already been taking place, and many more are planned, right across the UK – all in order to raise money for a vital piece of equipment to treat children with abnormal heart rhythms. After 4 months they are already a third of the way to this £10,000 target and so are hoping to surpass it! And there is still something major to come… We are beyond thrilled to tell you that Gymbo the Clown will be running The London Marathon in April, for the charity!
Gymbo is currently hard at work training for the 26 mile race, so look out for some pics coming your way of his gruelling regime…
We’d love it if you could show your support for his efforts and help us raise as much as possible for this incredible hospital, which has been saving lives for 160 years. Visit our page here at JustGiving.com to see how we’re doing!
November 2011: Gymboree is coming to St Albans
We are delighted to announce that Gymboree is coming to St Albans – and will be opening its doors early in the New Year 2012! Gymboree St Albans will be owned and operated by local mum Susie Williams. She looks forward to welcoming you soon! Watch this space for further updates on timings…
November 2011: Gymboree nominated for Best Children’s Activity Provider in the Tommy’s Awards
We are thrilled that we have yet again been nominated in the Tommy’s ‘Let’s Get Baby Friendly’ Awards. Voting begins in January 2012.
October 2011: Gymboree UK wins International Franchisor of the Year
Gymboree UK was delighted to win International Franchisor of the Year at the Gymboree International Conference in Maui, Hawaii. The award was for recognition of Outstanding Performance, Service & Development.
Pictured are Susannah Alexander, Managing Director and Ann Barker, Marketing & Communications Manager.
June 2011: Gymboree wins prestigious award!
Susannah Alexander, Managing Director
Gymboree has been yet again named as the Best National Pre-schooler Development Activity.
With over 32,000 votes cast, the awards are determined solely by parents and Gymboree has come out on top! Says Susannah Alexander, Gymboree UK’s Managing Director, “We are thrilled to have won this award and thank the thousands of Gymboree families who took the time to vote for us and show their support for our wonderful programme!”
May 2011: Gymboree Play & Music’s success in the South East
Gymboree is thrilled to be adding two more franchises to its already thriving classes in the South East. Collette Beard, soon-to-be mum, and Gymboree teacher for more years that she cares to remember (!), opened her site in Sevenoaks in January 2011 and is achieving great success in Kent. Charlotte Endacott, Gymboree Mum and mother of Thomas opened Gymboree Herne Hill in May 2011 and is already expanding her timetable to cope with the demand. Susannah notes, “At Gymboree we are seeing that families are being more and more selective with their time and money and they are choosing Gymboree for our consistency, quality, and commitment to excellence. There is simply no other nationwide class for under 5s that comes close to what Gymboree delivers!”
2010: Gymboree’s Baby Play – the UK’s only nationwide class dedicated to newborns
Gymboree’s re-launched Baby Play classes are winning rave reviews from new parents across the UK. With a focus on sensory exploration, each theme-based class features songs, activities, dances, musical activities and prop play designed to gently stimulate baby’s senses.
Says new mum Sam James, “When Harry was born, I had no idea what to do with him or where I could go to learn. Other playgroups tended to have toddlers and older children so it didn’t appeal with Harry being only 10 weeks old. Discovering Gymboree’s Baby Play class was like a whole new world opening up for me. I learned new songs, actions, and most importantly, I was introduced to a wonderful group of new mums and dads.”
October 2009: Gymboree Play & Music’s Scotland successes
Gymboree is thrilled to be adding two more franchises to its already thriving classes in Scotland.
Lisa Rafiq, a long-time Gymboree mum herself, has begun classes in South Glasgow and is receiving rave reviews. Karen McVean will also be opening a new franchise in Lomond with plans to open in time for Christmas. These two new franchises are in addition to thriving classes already being held in Glasgow’s West End and in Lanarkshire.
May 2009: Gymboree wins national award!
Gymboree has been named as the Best National Pre-schooler Development Activity in the What’s on 4 Little Ones Awards.
2009: New Gymboree centres opening across the UK
Gymboree continues its incredible growth throughout the UK with new Gymboree centres opening in Watford, Islington and Glasgow South in October, in Cobham and Lomond in November and in Bristol and High Wycombe in January! For information on any of these openings, click on “Find a Class Near You”.