A Scottish primary school teacher has gone from being forced to take a career break due to long COVID to picking up a national award for her new music and movement franchise.
Mairi Curle took on franchise business Boogie Beat for Edinburgh, Mid and East Lothian at the beginning of 2023, having taken a career break from her job as a primary school teacher in Dalkeith after becoming ill with long Covid.
Boogie Beat, which has over 20 franchisees in the UK, provides a range of children’s workshops and classes which bring music, singing, dancing and storytelling together.
Since launching, Mairi’s area has grown substantially, and she has taken on four teachers to support the delivery of classes in nurseries and at birthday parties.
In February, just a year after launching, Mairi was announced as the winner of the Federation of Small Businesses Franchise Award for Scotland. She then went on to win at the UK finals in May.
Looking to the future, Mairi now plans to develop intergenerational classes, which offer residents of care homes and children from the local community the chance to come together and engage in music, dance, storytelling and movement activities.
She also will continue her work with her charity partner, Love From Jamie, and will donate a portion of her profits to fund the work the charity does to support bereaved families
