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Norwich parents in need of smart, flexible childcare, and University students seeking fun, flexible work are being connected by innovative online childcare business Student Nannies which launches in Norwich this term.

Founder and CEO Tracey Blake, 42, a mum of two [Minnie, 8, and Monty, 5] from Princes Risborough, Bucks, set up the company when she was working full time as a newspaper executive and found it impossible to find good childcare.

‘I had tried all the usual things of online advertising, word of mouth and even putting up a postcard in the newsagents, but had no luck,’ explains Blake. ‘Then I overheard two students talking in my local train station and asked if either of them were interested in babysitting work. Louise, an art foundation student was, and was totally brilliant with the children doing craft projects with them every week. When she left after a year I wanted to find another uni student because it was such a good fit but there was no way for me to reach into that network – so I set up studentnannies.com.’

Student Nannies was named by STartups UK as one of the most inspirational female-founded businesses of 2017 and is growing fast. Blake is very excited to be launching in Norfolk: “There is a huge student population in Norwich and hundreds of local parents seeking reliable, friendly young people to help fill their childcare gaps. Registration on the site is free for both parents and students, then you can search for what you need.”    

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