As a child, you could often find Bobbie busy drawing pictures, tucked in a corner with a good book or playing a musical instrument and with a great love for nature, she also spent a lot of time outdoors. Her childhood ambition was always to become an artist/writer and by her mid-teens, she also knew she wanted to work with children, studying childcare, health & social care and volunteering at her old primary school in Lancaster. By the time she reached 18, she had already spent a full summer working as a nanny, for a family in Heysham.

With a black belt in jujitsu and kick-boxing, Bobbie began teaching martial arts in various after school clubs and evening/weekend classes across the Lancaster, Preston and Blackpool areas, working with hundreds of different children over the years and as a member of senior management, also trained up new junior instructors.

In 2008, she began working in Primary Education, at the same local school she works at today, and gained advanced level qualifications in teaching/learning support and activity leadership. That summer, she also started up a martial arts holiday club, combining sports and art activities, which she ran for seven years, stepping away in 2015 to focus on arts and crafts, her life-long hobby, and holistic therapies, another passion of hers. The following year, the combination of her creative hobbies, interests and holistic approach to life, gave birth to Indigo.

Fast forward to 2023 and Indigo continues to go from strength to strength, welcoming new faces at holiday club every time the school holidays come around and new ideas being developed, constantly.

Spending time in a relaxed space, surrounded by nature, teaching children new creative skills, whilst doing all the things I love is just incredible! Inspiring young people through creative outlets and allowing them the freedom to tap into their own creativity, makes it a joy to do this daily! Arts and crafts comes in so many forms: painting, crafting, baking, gardening, writing/playing music, dancing – just to name a few. I want to offer as many creative opportunities as possible, whilst simultaneously teaching children important life skills. Most important of all, I want everyone to have fun.

Bobbie Stoddon | Founder of Indigo Arts & Crafts.