A performing arts company based in Saffron Walden has won a national award recognising its work with children and families.

Tiny Tempos was established in 2012 by Becky Oliver, a professional singer and musical theatre performer and teacher, and Tempos Performing Arts was set up in 2013 as an extension of the business.

Becky received the award for ‘Best Business Woman Working with Children and Families’ at the Best Business Women Awards at Tewin Bury Farm, in Hertfordshire, on October 11.

“This is a national award with more than 700 applications so we are just over the moon and completely shocked that our little Saffron Walden business won,” Becky said. “I started Tempos Performing Arts as an extension of our successful Tiny Tempos music and movement classes for under 3s. I wanted to build a school where we could offer classes for all stages of their childhood and keep our family atmosphere.

“It was our third year being shortlisted in the final and I really didn’t expect to win.”

Tiny Tempos now has 120 students and Tempos Performing Arts has 180 students after launching in 2012 with just two classes. “What’s amazing is we started with two classes in 2012 and now we have 35 classes across seven venues,” Becky said. “We grew organically – it wasn’t pre-planned. We started Tiny Tempos classes at Saffron Walden Town Hall – for the first few weeks, nobody came and we didn’t think it would work. Then, as soon as word of mouth got hold, that was it.”Tiny Tempos came first, but the older students said it was a shame they had to leave the company as they got older.

“Some parents and students said it was a shame they would have to leave when they were three so I started one class for them and the rest is history - now our eldest student is 16-years-old,” Becky said. “And when you’re seven, you don’t want to be called tiny, so we had to rebrand – which we did in 2014. It’s been a big year this year. We had our second ever show – our first show was in 2016 with 76 kids and this year, we used a theatre in Cambridge and we had 150 kids. That was mega for us and I think that’s what helped our award application.

“My ethos is if I can instil the confidence in them to perform in whatever role they need to – interviews, presentations, and so on when they are older, that’s great. If we can improve the children’s confidence alongside the skill and strength, then that’s great.”