Nature Makers Named One of the Nation’s Favourite Businesses 2026 | IPHM

IPHM Member Nature Makers Named One of the Nation’s Favourite Businesses for 2026

We absolutely love celebrating the brilliant things our members are doing, and this is a very special one. ????

Nature Makers, founded by IPHM member Faye Smith, has been named one of the Nation’s Favourite Businesses for 2026 by the Small Business Saturday campaign.

Based in North Warwickshire and working through a growing UK-wide franchise network, Nature Makers delivers award-winning mindful art, craft and play experiences designed to support natural wellbeing, creativity and connection.

Founded by Faye in 2019, the business has grown from an idea rooted in reconnecting people with nature into a network delivering classes, workshops, school programmes, family events, adult wellbeing sessions and community projects across the UK.

And now, that work is being recognised on a national stage.

One of the Nation’s Favourite Businesses

Following a nationwide search, Nature Makers has been selected as part of the Nation’s Favourite Businesses 2026, the new campaign replacing Small Business Saturday’s long-running SmallBiz100.

The businesses chosen will be showcased during the official countdown to Small Business Saturday on 5 December 2026, shining a spotlight on some of the independent businesses making a real impact in communities across the UK.

For Faye, the recognition is particularly meaningful because it celebrates something that can be difficult to see when you are immersed in the everyday realities of running a business.

“Sometimes, when you are deep in the day-to-day of running a small business, it's hard to see the larger impact we have on our communities. This recognition means everything to me and our Nature Makers Franchise team.”

She added:

“It will spur us on and give us greater opportunities to change even more people's lives and wellbeing through nature art, craft and play!”

Creating wellbeing through nature, creativity and connection

At the heart of Nature Makers is a simple belief that spending time creating, connecting and engaging with nature can have a positive role in our wellbeing.

The business was created to offer meaningful experiences for children, families and communities, giving people opportunities to slow down, be creative and reconnect with the natural world.

Today, Nature Makers practitioners work across the UK delivering experiences including:

• Mindful art, craft and play sessions
• Children’s and family classes
• School programmes
• Community projects
• Adult wellbeing sessions
• Workshops and events

For us at IPHM, this recognition is also a brilliant example of the many different ways holistic and wellbeing professionals are building businesses that make an impact far beyond an individual appointment or treatment room.

Celebrating the people behind small businesses

Small Business Saturday has been celebrating independent businesses in the UK since 2013.

The grassroots, non-commercial campaign encourages people to discover, support and spend with small businesses in their communities, with Small Business Saturday itself taking place on the first Saturday of December each year.

Michelle Ovens CBE, Director of Small Business Saturday UK, said this year’s businesses reflect the diversity of the UK’s small business community, from family-run cafés and restaurants to makers, service businesses and independent traders.

And behind every one of those businesses is a person or team doing the often unseen work of building something they believe in.

That is one of the reasons we are particularly proud to see Faye and Nature Makers recognised.

Running a small wellbeing business involves so much more than delivering the work you love. There is marketing, planning, finances, admin, team building, development and countless decisions happening behind the scenes.

National recognition like this gives us an opportunity to stop and celebrate just how much those businesses contribute.

Congratulations, Faye and the Nature Makers team ????

We are incredibly proud to have Faye as part of the IPHM community and want to send a huge congratulations to the entire Nature Makers franchise team.

We talk a lot at IPHM about building trusted, professional and fulfilling businesses while making a genuine difference to the people and communities around us.

Nature Makers is a lovely example of exactly that.

We cannot wait to see what comes next.

You can learn more about Nature Makers and the work they are doing across the by heading to their IPHM directory page.

To discover more about Small Business Saturday UK and the Nation’s Favourite Businesses 2026, visit the Small Business Saturday website.

Are you an IPHM member with something to celebrate?

We want to hear about it.

Whether you have received an award, launched something new, reached an important milestone, expanded your team or simply have a story you think could inspire another practitioner or training provider, tell us what you’ve been up to.

Your wins deserve to be celebrated too ????