Two mums, one chance playground meeting, and a shared belief that family life shouldn’t involve endless searching for things to do
Your go-to space for finding the best things to do with kids, right where you live. From local classes and events to trusted family-friendly businesses, we make it easy to discover what’s happening near you.
We know how busy family life can be, so we’re here to help you spend less time searching and more time enjoying it.
Our goal is to be a household name across the UK. A network of pages run by actual local experts, making it simple to find what’s on, where to go, and what to book.
You no longer have to frantically search:
It’s everything for kids. All in one place.
2023
The idea was born
The idea for Hello Kids first came to life in 2023, when Alysha was pregnant with her third baby. Like so many parents, she was part of multiple local groups where the same questions kept popping up- What’s on this week? Which playgroup is on which day? It felt so hard to keep track of everything, and she kept thinking how helpful it would be to have it all in one place.
2023
Alysha creates Hello Kingston Kids.
After being made redundant, she decided to bring that idea to life, creating something that would genuinely make things easier for families including herself!
2024
Alysha & Alana have a chance playground meeting.
Not many great business partnerships begin at a playground, but ours did.
In 2024, a chance meeting at a local playground turned into something much bigger (because playgrounds are basically life with toddlers!). That’s where Alysha met Alana, a fellow expat mum with children the same age. Alana recognised the Hello Kingston Kids page and came over to say hello. We instantly connected, both North American, both raising young families here, and both trying to find our village.
2024
Alana joins Alysha with Hello Kingston Kids.
Not long after, we decided to join forces and it was the best decision.
2025
The Decision to Grow Beyond Kingston
In 2025, we decided to bring our idea to other neighbourhoods, launching our second local guide, Hello Wimbledon Kids. It quickly became clear that what families really needed wasn’t a single page covering a huge area, but passionate local parents sharing knowledge about the communities they actually live in.
That’s when the idea for Hello Kids Network was born.
In spring 2025, Cayley joined us as our first franchise owner, officially turning Hello Kids into a franchise business. Since then, we’ve expanded into Richmond, Walthamstow, Guildford and St Albans, with more locations on the way.
Today
Building the UK’s Most Trusted Family Network
Today, we’re growing Hello Kids Network across the UK, one local community at a time.
Our mission remains the same as it was on day one: helping families spend less time searching and more time making memories. Every Hello Kids page is run by a local expert who knows their area, understands the needs of local families, and is passionate about connecting parents with the best classes, events, activities and businesses nearby.
What started as one mum trying to keep track of local playgroups has become a growing network of parents helping other parents discover the very best of family life in their community.
And we’re only just getting started.
Hi, I’m Alysha, mum of four amazing (and very busy!) children. Originally from New York, I’ve been lucky enough to call the UK home for the past seven years.
Most days, you’ll find me clocking up at least 10,000 steps, pushing a buggy loaded with children, scooters, and enough snacks to feed a small army!
In my rare kid-free moments I love cooking, doom scrolling on Ocado, and reading. Fun fact: around the same time I launched Hello Kingston Kids, I also started a local book club, and it’s still going strong today. Who knew that fantasy novels would become my latest obsession?
I’m definitely the type of person with 47 tabs open at once and a phone full of half-finished notes and brainstorming ideas. I like to think of myself as organised chaos! Thankfully, Alana balances me perfectly. We both bring a positive, glass-half-full approach to everything we do, and together we make a pretty great team.
What I love most about Hello Kingston Kids is helping families discover great things to do locally. Truthfully, I’m on the website just as much as everyone else, constantly looking for inspiration for my own four kids! Supporting amazing local businesses along the way is a pretty lovely bonus too.
Hi, I’m Alana! I’m originally from Vancouver, Canada, but I’ve called the UK home for the last 16 years and now live in Surbiton with my Aussie husband and our two boys, who are just 14 months apart (a bit of a pandemic project 😅).
Our family life is very outdoorsy, active, and usually covered in dirt. Most weekends you’ll find us at parkrun, exploring a new playground or café, or off on some kind of campervan adventure. As a family we love climbing, surfing, skiing, cycling, and basically anything that gets us outside.
I’m definitely the extrovert in the friendship between Alysha and me. I love meeting new people, hosting my weekly mum walk, chatting at networking events, and building connections. I’m also the organised one, with a Google Calendar that is aggressively colour coded and planned within an inch of its life.
Coffee is also a non-negotiable in my world. We even have a full bean-to-cup setup in our campervan, which feels slightly excessive but absolutely worth it.
Treat me to a brunch outing and I’ll love you forever.
At the heart of it all, I just genuinely love meeting people and discovering great things to do locally with my family. Social interaction is what fills my cup, so a good chat, a coffee, and a playground meetup is pretty much my perfect day.
We love hearing from our community, whether it’s a suggestion, a recommendation, a new event you’ve spotted, or you just want to say hi!
Get in touch directly
For sales, partnerships, and business enquiries: alysha@hellokidsnetwork.com
For marketing, socials, and franchisee support: alana@hellokidsnetwork.com
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Need a little more information? Our FAQ page is a great place to start.
