Local mother launches Little City franchise in East Devon

A Sidmouth-based mother and former early years teacher is bringing Little City’s award-winning play sessions to Sidmouth.

Francesca Coles will be heading up Little City East Devon, the newest franchise for Little City UK, the award-winning, imaginative play company. 

Francesca relocated to Sidmouth with her husband and two daughters earlier this year and is launching Little City East Devon after previously running the North Somerset branch. Her professional background spans early years teaching and advisory work for the council, and she’s thrilled to champion play-based learning through the concept of Little City’s mobile pretend play set-up. 

Having grown up in Torquay, Francesca was keen to return to her roots and live by the coast. 

She says,

“Sidmouth was the perfect place to set up home, because it’s a fantastic area to bring up a family. To continue working with Little City and to bring the franchise to this area was a big bonus because I wanted to carry on using my early education skills while having the freedom and flexibility of raising a young family.”

Each session will last one hour, and will focus on imaginative, child-led play in welcoming indoor spaces where adults can observe, join in or take a moment to connect with others. The approach emphasises development through play rather than structured classes, and is designed to suit mixed-age families, grandparents and carers. 

Francesca says,

“In my previous Little City Somerset franchise, parents and carers loved our sessions because of how engaged the children became in their pretend play. They could use our Little City set up to enter a world where they can pretend to be vets, doctors, mechanics, postal workers, hairdressers and much more.”

“Unlike hectic soft play sessions where you’re constantly having to chase little ones to the top of the playing area or trying to get them to participate in structured group activities, this is far more relaxed, yet just as beneficial. We saw how parents and carers were loving the chance to jump into pretend play scenarios, but also how they could take the time to enjoy a hot drink and have a conversation with another adult, knowing that their children were having the time of their lives. That’s why the sessions were perfect for grandparents, families with mixed-aged siblings, expectant mums, and even families with new babies.”

Nationally, Little City UK has built its reputation on delivering a variety of imaginative play sessions for toddlers and pre-schoolers across a wide range of settings.

As well as the typical stay-and-play sessions, the mobile nature of the Little City set up means that it can be used in almost any setting, from schools and nurseries to community groups and care homes. Little City UK has been invited to participate in many corporate events and even facilitated a series of prison visits to transform the visiting area of a prison into a child-friendly fun zone.

This is something that Francesca is keen to explore. She says,

"I’m determined Little City East Devon won’t just be a place families visit, it will be a service that goes out to them. We’ll be running school and nursery visits, pop-up sessions in community venues and working with local groups so early-years play is accessible across the area. If your school, nursery, business or community group would like us to visit or explore a partnership, please get in touch”

Tickets can be purchased via the Little City East Devon website.

Visit the Little City East Devon page