The Positive Impact of Hosting Community Events As a society, we live busy, separate lives which can make it hard to form meaningful bonds with those in our local community. The global COVID-19 pandemic saw a revival of that fabled ‘community spirit’, with people helping out their friends, family, and neighbours who were self-isolating and unable to leave their homes. It also highlighted the number of people in our society who do not have a support network in place, and suffer from feelings of loneliness. Now that restrictions have been lifted, continuing to nurture this sense of togetherness is key to promoting good mental health and wellbeing, and ensuring people feel supported and ‘seen’ within their communities. Community events are a great way to create a sense of togetherness. They enable people from all walks of life to feel connected and supported, especially those who are likely to feel vulnerable and lonely - such as new parents, the elderly, introverts, and people who are generally lacking the confidence to make and maintain friendships. Hosting community events also encourages better communication and interaction between people who wouldn’t usually get the chance to engage with each other. They bring great benefits to society by providing a support network for community members to rely on, and enable people to form friendships, which are vital for good mental health and a better quality of life.  Join Green Bean & Friends for a FREE Interactive Storytime Session Green Bean Studios is passionate about giving back to local communities and encouraging unity between people. Throughout October, Award-winning author Anita Frost will be sharing her experiences as part of the ‘Every Book Tells A Story’ project. She will be talking about her writing journey and the positive impact that writing has had on her own wellbeing. As part of this project, Anita Frost will also be hosting a FREE community event in Wigan during October half-term for parents to bring their children to. The Green Bean & Friends Interactive Storytime Session will give children the chance to meet some of their favourite characters, including Green Bean & Mr Bear, whilst listening to Anita Frost share her stories from the Green Bean Collection. The storytime session is ideal for children aged one to seven years. These exciting stories appeal to children from all backgrounds, with fun tales to captivate their imaginations. Each child will discover, learn and have fun together with the adventures of the Green Bean & Friends. Children will also have the opportunity to have their books signed on the day by the author. This event is FREE of charge to attend and will be held at Ashton Library in Wigan on Monday 25th October 2021 from 10:30am. To find out more and book your tickets, please use the link below: Look out for Melissa's latest articles on Anita Frost's author website, where she'll talk about topics including business and publishing, author news and events, and giving back to communities. You can find her in-depth monthly feature on the News & Media page of the Green Bean Collection website, discussing children's books and reading, early years education, living a greener lifestyle and all things Green Bean!
Best Eco-FriendlyChildren's Toys & Books Retailer 2021We’re delighted to share that the Green Bean Collection has won Best Eco-Friendly Children's Toys & Books Retailer 2021 at the SME UK Enterprise Awards. The SME UK Enterprise Awards recognise SMEs of all sizes who excel in their industries. Through promoting diverse and supportive company cultures which prioritise employee satisfaction, to offering exceptional customer service, to showing dedication to innovation and creativity, the awards showcase the broad range of talent SMEs possess and enrich the UK economy with. SME News is a valuable resource for CEOs, leaders and key decision makers, providing expert knowledge and the latest news by drawing on its UK wide network of industry insiders from across the UK SME arena. Award Coordinator Jessie Wilson shared her thoughts on the success of this year’s award programme: “It is always a pleasure and a privilege to reach out to those that have been awarded in the SME UK Enterprise programme. One of the joys of these awards is realising the sheer talent and skill that permeates every inch of the British business sphere, across all industries and fields. I hope you all have a wonderful – and productive – rest of the year ahead and a fantastic 2022.” SME News prides itself on the integrity and validity of its awards and winners. Businesses who win these awards are chosen solely on merit, being commended for their ingenuity and hard work, which sets them apart from their competitors and proves them worthy of recognition. Following on from our award success earlier this year for Children’s Toy Retailer of the Year 2021 at the Corporate LiveWire Global Awards, this Eco Award win is further recognition of the innovation and excellence that the Green Bean brand continues to demonstrate, as well as our dedication to sustainability and operating in a planet-friendly way.  At Green Bean Studios, we have a dedicated team who are passionate about sustainability, protecting the environment, and trading in a fair and ethical way. We value the importance of understanding the businesses and individuals who make up our supply chain, ensuring that each and every product is of a consistently high quality, without exploiting workers. Drawing on author and founder Anita Frost’s extensive business experience, we have carefully developed our product packaging so that it is sustainable, whilst being highly appealing to children and parents. All of our packaging is made from recycled materials, and can be recycled after use. We have worked hard to remove all unnecessary plastic from our packaging and, where it is unavoidable, we have ensured that these materials are able to be recycled. Through every avenue of communication with our customers, we promote our core message of sustainability, caring for the environment, and living greener, healthier lifestyles. From our bold and engaging animations and illustrations, to the way we interact with our customers across our social media channels, email newsletters, and website, we are always keen to encourage our fanbase to be more environmentally conscious and do their bit to protect our planet. This year, we have launched two new products to add to our ever-growing collection of educational and eco-friendly children’s toys and games. These innovative products contributed to us winning the SME Eco Award.  Firstly, our Green Bean & Friends Jigsaw Puzzle Summer Edition – a colourful 20-piece jigsaw puzzle showing some of the much loved characters from the Green Bean Collection in a beautiful outdoor setting. There are plenty of bold, bright objects for children of all ages to engage with, and the jigsaw is ideal for teaching turn-taking, communication, fine motor skills, observation, matching, organising and memory. Secondly, our 7in1 Card Games – seven different fun and educational games contained in one compact box, making them ideal for entertaining the kids when travelling, visiting friends, or going on holiday. There are games suitable for children from 2 to 8 years old, with familiar favourites including Flash Cards, Memory Games, Pairs, and Snap, providing valuable time together to learn and play for the whole family. What sets our card games apart from other products on the market is that ours contains many more game options than others do – similar products averaged at around four game varieties, whereas ours includes seven options, making it excellent value for money and highly appealing to parents and gift buyers.  Both of these new releases have been hugely successful with our existing fans, as well as capturing the interest of new ones too – including breaking into new retail markets across Europe and globally. Innovation is at the heart of what we do at Green Bean Studios, and we are always looking for new and exciting ways to share our passion for edutainment, sustainability, and having fun adventures with more children and their families across the UK and beyond. Spurred on by our award success, and the positive feedback from parents and children about our newly released toys and games, we are excited to be exploring new developments for our range and additional product lines to further grow our fanbase and retail offerings.  With our fictional characters, Green Bean & Friends, we take children on an adventure of learning and understanding,through enhancing their imaginations and broadening their horizons, we help children to think creatively and grow in confidence. Authored by Anita Frost, the Green Bean Collection is now a household favourite. Precious moments - let's create them! 
Here’s some of our fans hanging out by the Adventure Dales
School Bus with their bags of Green Bean goodies! |
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Inspiration & Events Editor
Look out for Melissa's latest articles on Anita Frost's author website, where she'll talk about topics including business and publishing, author news and events, and giving back to communities.
You can find her in-depth monthly feature on the News & Media page of the Green Bean Collection website, discussing children's books, reading, and all things Green Bean! For more information or any queries, please contact Melissa by emailing editor@greenbeancollection.co.uk. 
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