Best known for its children’s art courses, adult pottery classes and fabulous Christmas fair, there is in fact a whole lot more going on at Kite Studios than you may think. Set around a tranquil courtyard tucked away just off the Askew Road, Kite Studios is home to a diverse range of small local businesses—from children’s occupational therapy to photography courses for teenagers, from hand-made kitchens to NCT classes. They also rent out studio spaces, big and small, for private or corporate events. West London Mum popped in to find out what’s happening.
The Mango Lab: photography and creative digital courses
The Mango Lab runs creative classes covering everything from Photoshop, digital editing, iMovie and GarageBand workshops to straight digital photography for all abilities. Their popular monthly Saturday Club is a project-based class for young adults with varying themes such as mobile phone photography. Another course is alluringly named London After Dark, which teaches night photography (“sessions likely to end with hot chocolate or Gluehwein”). They’ll even show you how to take the perfect Instagram! Run by photographers Julia Massey Stewart and Karl Grupe, the Mango Lab’s philosophy is about intimate classes of no more than six so that each student receives proper attention. To find out more, call 020 3002 4991, email [email protected] or visit www.themangolab.co.uk.
Children’s Therapy London: occupational and speech and language therapy
Melissa Seeds owns and runs Children’s Therapy London, an independent children’s occupational and speech and language therapy practice, at Kite Studios. She is one of three occupational therapists on site who work specifically with children. Melissa founded Children’s Therapy on the principle that every child should be supported to reach their highest potential. The practice offers therapy to children from birth to 16 years with developmental coordination disorders such as dyspraxia, speech delays, neuromuscular conditions including cerebral palsy, and specific learning impairments such as dyslexia and handwriting difficulties. The space is light and colourful, with an array of soft play toys, books and equipment—more like a nursery than a therapy studio, making it appealing and less intimidating for children. To find out more, call 0203 6919626 or 0755 4442856, or visit www.westlondonchildrensot.com.
West London Kitchens: bespoke family kitchens
A small family business run by husband-and-wife team Keith and Elizabeth Dare, West London Kitchens sell upmarket German and Italian kitchens at mid-market prices. Because they don’t run traditional showrooms they don’t have the overheads; instead the pair take prospective clients to see kitchens they’ve installed in people’s homes. You get to see real kitchens in-situ and at the same time meet some neighbours! This is much more informative (and fun) than going to a showroom and it means they can pass on substantial savings to clients. Visit www.westlondonkitchens.com or call 020 8741 1981.
NCT classes: labour, birth, and early parenting
The National Childbirth Trust is a wonderful way to meet people having babies at the same time as you and to make some new, often lifelong friends. Sarah Johnson runs regular NCT classes at Kite Studios, the first in W12 for years (until 2011 people had to go to Hammersmith or Chiswick). NCT courses can be booked at www.nct.org.uk.
Therapies: yoga, cranialsacral, nutritional, acupuncture…
Kite Studios is also home to a number of therapists, including cranialsacral therapy, nutritional therapy, yoga, homeopathy, osteopathy, psychotherapy and acupuncture.
Kite Studios
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