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The UK's creative industry is facing significant economic challenges. Green Bean Studios has navigated these challenges for some years, and access to various investment routes, along with support from our customers, wholesalers, and ambassador community, has been essential to our success.  A new report from the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee highlights concerns about the pressures on British screen content, especially culturally specific content with UK-held IP. The report warns of an urgent crisis in the UK’s independent film and high-end TV sectors due to rising costs, a downturn in domestic production, skills shortages, an over-reliance on inward investment, and chronic underinvestment in domestic content. Here are some currently available investment options: * DCMS Fund - Innovate UK * Creative UK * Regional Funds - Greater Manchester  Kate O’Connor, Executive Chair of Animation UK, stated:
"This is a pivotal moment. The Committee’s report makes clear what we’ve been saying: our world-class content industries face a systemic crisis. For animation, the warning lights have been flashing for some time. We fully endorse the Committee’s calls for stronger support but urge them to build on their recommendations by ensuring the distinctive needs of the UK animation sector are embedded into future evidence, analysis and policy. Animation is one of the most geographically diverse and export-ready parts of the screen sector. With the right conditions, not handouts, but smart, targeted policies, it can thrive, drive growth, and tell British stories to the world. But without action, we risk losing that voice, that talent, and that future." With strategic interventions, UK animation could double its economic impact—growing from £1.7bn to over £2bn—and create over 20,000 highly skilled jobs. Animation UK urges MPs and policymakers to act now and place animation at the heart of future screen strategy. You can read the full CMS report here, as well as a press release detailing how different investment routes have supported us.
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Early Education CampaignWe are excited to announce our partnership with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to highlight the importance of the future workforce in early education and childcare. GMCA has launched an ambitious 12-month campaign to raise the profile of early education and childcare and encourage more people to consider a career in the sector. The campaign features 11 early education and childcare professionals from across our city, sharing their stories about the significant impact they make on the lives of babies, toddlers, and young children. You can find out more and watch the campaign videos via this link. They recently contacted all nurseries and childminders in Greater Manchester to encourage participation in their ‘Drawn To You’ competition.  What is the Drawn to You competition? (GMCA) want to capture the voice of young children through asking them to draw picture of their teacher/keyworker/childminder and tell them what they love about them, it might be their hugs, patience or love of reading or playing together! Alternatively, wthey would love to see photos of children with their teacher/keyworker/childminder and 3 key words to describe them. You may want to consider involving parents in this as a home learning activity or completing it with children in the setting. The workforce campaign runs until September 2025, entries will be selected to feature in adverts and other campaign assets across Greater Manchester. This might include digital billboards at the Trafford Centre or adverts on our public transport network!  One setting from each local authority area will be chosen to receive some fun learning goodies from us. We are Green Bean Studios , a Manchester-based children's IP entertainment brand. Our multi-award-winning brand includes the Green Bean Collection , a retail line of collectable books, ECO toys, games, and outdoor products for children. Founded by multi-award-winning author and entrepreneur Anita Frost , Green Bean Studios is built on over 20 years of professional experience in child development, innovation, and business. Our mission is to inspire a lifelong love of play, learning, and outdoor adventure in children, helping them to thrive. How will we use the drawings? We’re looking to display the drawings in a number of ways in an exhibition hosted by Manchester Art Gallery in June ’25. This may include enlaring drawings or using them in a collage to create a larger piece. We’ll also be looking to use some of the drawings in later stages in the digital aspect of our campaign. Please indicate how you with your submission to be used on the consent form.  Who can compete in the competition?
All children from ages 0-5 can enter, as long as they attend a nursery setting (school nursery/maintained nursery/PVI or a Childminder in Greater Manchester). Greater Manchester includes the following local authority areas:
How to submit entries? Settings to post submissions and consent forms to School Readiness Programme, Tootal Buildings, 1st Floor, 56 Oxford Road, M1 6EU or scan and send via email [email protected] (School Readiness Project Officer). Please complete 1 consent form for each child/early years practitioner featured in submitted materials. The deadline to enter is 12th May 2025. We hope this is something you’ll want to support and look forward to hearing from you! Anita Frost will attend the 10th-anniversary Vision for Literacy Business Pledge celebration, in partnership with KPMG, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. Gareth Snell, MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Literacy, will be joining (subject to parliamentary business). The event will host a 10-year awards celebration to profile some of the key partners, followed by a drinks reception. The award-winning Vision for Literacy Business Pledge provides a framework for business action to help close the literacy gap between disadvantaged young people and their more affluent peers. First established in 2015 and run by the National Literacy Trust with the support of KPMG UK, the Pledge is now in its ninth year. To date, 110 businesses have signed up and are committed to taking action.  As a dynamic children’s entertainment brand, Green Bean Studios shares the values of living sustainably, nurturing the environment, and supporting children in play, learning, and fun adventures. Reading stories to children from birth is one of the best ways to help them develop speech and language skills. Reading a variety of books aloud helps children learn a wide vocabulary. Engaging them with colourful board books and picture books is also beneficial.  According to a BBC report, the number of five to six-year-olds requiring speech and language support at school has increased by 10% in England over the past year. This increase is significantly greater than in previous years, mainly because children have had reduced social interaction due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. One of our core missions is to improve children’s reading, writing, and communication skills through early intervention, helping prepare them for formal education. Throughout the lockdowns, Green Bean Studios® provided families with free learning resources to support children’s ongoing education and social/emotional development while they were out of school and unable to socialise with their peers. Share your speech or language delay story with us by emailing
[email protected] For all PR enquiries, please contact Melissa Brannlund: [email protected] Discover our range of educational books, games and eco toys: https://www.greenbeancollection.co.uk/shop.html We are looking forward to attending Innovate UK's Talent & Skills Connect Annual Conference in Manchester on April 3, 2025. This conference builds upon the discussions from the Partner Celebration Event in September 2024, particularly the critical need to encourage young people to pursue careers in innovation and ensure equitable access to STEM opportunities. At Green Bean Studios, we annually offer work experience and placement opportunities to students across various academic levels, from high school to postgraduate studies. In 2023, we were pleased to host our first doctoral (Ph.D.) student.  Our commitment to providing these opportunities is driven by their significant impact. The World Economic Forum's "Future of Jobs Report 2025" indicates that approximately 39% of workers' existing skills will need to evolve or will become obsolete between 2025 and 2030. This underscores the necessity for adaptability, resilience, flexibility, and a growth mindset in the face of changing work environments. Without these opportunities, young people risk being left behind. As a sustainable children’s entertainment IP brand, we have prioritised sustainable materials and production methods since our inception. This year, we are enhancing our creative innovation at Green Bean Studios, which is essential to supporting our mission of environmental protection and carbon emission reduction. For example, a Ph.D. student from Lancaster Environment Centre assisted our team, helping us to improve the strength and durability of the sustainable materials used in our collection, to demonstrate the feasibility of producing high-quality eco-toys on a large scale  We are dedicated to demonstrating that eco-friendly toys can be economically produced at scale, enabling children to play confidently, learn, and embark on imaginative adventures. We are proud to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions by exclusively using sustainable, recyclable, or biodegradable materials in our products and packaging.
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Editor
Melissa Brannlund is the features writer and editor, for author Anita Frost.
www.anitafrost.com Look out for latest articles on Anita Frost's author website, where we talk about topics including: Business, TV, Music, Media, Publishing and Child development, along with author news and events, and giving back to communities. To book Anita Frost for your event call 0161 524 3778 or book online
Words by Melissa Brannlund: [email protected] For press enquiries please contact: Sara Donnelly [email protected] Categories
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All Rights Reserved, ®Green Bean Studios, ®Green Bean Collection, ®Green Bean & Friends,
Registered No's: 12235929 - 12919046 VAT: 445 4542 90