A UTTOXETER mother-of-two who set up a speech therapy practice in the town this year has been nominated for a prestigious national award.
Libby Hill, of Wood Lane, is an independent speech and language therapist who runs Small Talk in the town and she has recently been nominated for two awards at The Mumpreneur Awards later this year.
The business is split into two halves; one is Small Talk Speech and Language Therapy and the other Smart Talkers pre-school groups.
The 47-year-old is nominated in the Best New Business category at the event in September, as well as being in with a chance of winning The Inspirational Business Mum Award.
This award is given to the mum who is an inspiration to all women in business and could walk away with a fantastic range of prizes.
The nominations will be judged by a panel of independent judges including Rachel Elnaugh, ex-Dragon on the BBC’s Dragons Den and Jo Cameron of Women on Their Way, who took part in the BBC’s Apprentice.
For Miss Hill, being a single parent to 10-yearold Thomas and seven-year-old George while juggling a business is a hard task but the field of business she has chosen provides plenty of rewards.
She told the Advertiser: “I was very concerned about the general decline in speech, language and communication skills. Children are not ready for school in the same way they were.
“Fundamentals such as attention, listening and vocabulary are delayed in our fast-paced visual world of the 21st century. I set up the groups to help alleviate this problem.
“Often when children start school it’s the first time they’ve had to do any ‘formal listening’ so it’s very hard for them. If they’ve been to one of the Small Talker groups they are much better prepared.
“They are for all children, not just those with suspected or identified difficulties with communication.
So if your child is starting school in September, it’s a great opportunity.” Ms Hill said there is a new group in Uttoxeter, at St Mary’s Children’s Centre, which is free of charge as a result of funding from the Community and Learning Partnership.
The group meets on Wednesdays at 10am and more information is available by contacting Ms Hill on 0844 704 5888 or 07792 906741.
Further information about Smart Talkers preschool groups can be found at www.smarttalkers.org.uk or for information about the speech therapy side visit www.smalltalk-ltd.co.uk.
