Jackie & Verity – Leicestershire & Rutland Franchisees

The first and only Jabberjacks franchise to be taken on as a partnership, former Operations Manager and HR Consultant in banking, Jackie and former Marketing Manager, Verity, took on the Leicestershire & Rutland Jabberjacks Franchise, introducing our children’s party and activity class concept to the East Midlands in 2006.

Verity, who lived in Lymme, near Warrington in Cheshire with her husband when her children were very young, used to take her daughter Liberty to local Jabberjacks classes, which both of them thoroughly enjoyed until they moved out of the area to live near Loughborough in North Leicestershire where Verity herself was brought up.

Jackie, who was already living in Verity’s home village, having relocated with work from Newcastle upon Tyne, was married to Verity’s school friend, and when she found herself to be redundant with two young girls after nearly 20 years working for a bank, was introduced to Jabberjacks on a planned fact finding visit to see a class back up in the North West.

Although Jackie had no knowledge or training in the education or entertainment of children, but immediately grasped the principles and understood as Verity did, what was so special about Jabberjacks. Both with young children who were or about to reach school ages, the timing was perfect for Jackie and Verity to take on their franchise. It fitted perfectly with their young families and was something that they could apply their skills and experience in business to.

You would think that the rest is history but that’s not the full story. Their Leicestershire & Rutland franchise was so successful that within the first year they put it to Penny, the Franchisor and founder of Jabberjacks, that they would be interested in buying the Franchising business from her should she wish to retire from it one day and after 4 years as franchisees that day came, in 2010, when Penny handed over the reins.

Jackie and Verity, as well as supporting the other Jabberjacks franchise owners, remain as Franchisees themselves in Leicestershire & Rutland to this day, not only delivering parties and classes, but also continuing to develop the Jabberjacks model and testing new activities along the way.