Welcome to our Franchise Stories

Why now is the right time to invest

Why now? There is no getting away from the fact that starting up your own business is hard, no matter when you do it. Even when things seem to be going your way, there is always something waiting around the corner to give you sleepless nights. So why would anybody invest in a franchise now,…

There’s no Slime like the present

2018 was a big year for Mess Around After many months of brain storming, trial and error and sleepless nights, we finally launched the Slime Lab UK in Teesside with our Mess Around Leader Emily Wilson. Our messy play events traditionally catered for children aged 6 months to 5 years old but for many years,…

From Leader to Teacher – The Tuff Tray Club

Krissy our Director and Owner shares her insight into how we launched a brand new messy play programme – The Tuff Tray Club during the pandemic. For 9 years, Mess Around has hosted events for children all across the UK. Catering for between 25 – 80 children, our events have been a huge success peaking…

Mess Box Success Story

The Pandemic and the Mess Box. A success story. Although in 2017 our business was rapidly expanding across the UK through our franchise network, demand still outpaced us as parents everywhere were asking for the Mess Around experience in their hometown. We wanted children from all corners of the UK to experience the magic of…

The Coronacoaster

It’s been a Coronacoaster of a year for us all. Sadly in March we had to close our messy doors to the public to protect our team, our customers, the NHS and to support the government in their attempt to suppress the virus. I have been running Mess Around Ltd. for over 8 years and…

Mess Around ‘Franchise of the Year’ finalist for Club Hub Awards 2020

It has been an exciting week over at Mess Around HQ as we found out we are finalists for ‘Franchise of the Year’ for the Club Hub Awards 2020. We eagerly joined the online event this week to hear the finalists announced. There was over 1019 applications from 388 businesses that entered this year’s awards. 100…

What is included in your Mess Around franchise investment?

Have you been wondering what is included in your franchise investment? It is a big decision making an investment into a franchise. And we know how vital it is not to have any hidden costs when you are just starting out. We aim to give you value with your investment and provide everything you need…

What marketing support do you get with a Mess Around franchise?

When taking on-board a franchise the prospect of marketing may seem a little daunting, particularly if its an area where you have no experience. The great thing about a Mess Around franchise is, you not only benefit from a well-known brand in the children’s activity providers market, but also gain a huge amount of support…

Mess Around sponsor of ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ award at Club Hub Awards 2020

For the second year running, Mess Around are thrilled to announce we are supporting the Club Hub UK Awards for 2020. The Club Hub UK Awards celebrate the best children’s activity professionals and providers in the UK. Club Hub Awards are offered across 15 categories, including 3 new categories for 2020. The awards are independently judged…

Mess Around franchise frequently asked questions on equipment

Thinking about investing in a franchise is a big decision. We know it’s not always easy and you often have burning questions you would like the answers too when you are considering joining the team. We have broken some of our FAQs on equipment to make it easier it easier for you to digest. Today…

Mess Around franchise frequently asked questions on running Mess Around events

Thinking about investing in a Mess Around franchise is a big decision. We know it’s not always easy and you often have burning questions you would like the answers too when you are considering joining the team. We have broken some of our FAQs on delivering our large scale Mess Around events to make it…

Mess Around franchise frequently asked questions on Finances

Five ways we support you to succeed with your Mess Around Franchise

Joining the Mess Around family is a fantastic opportunity to be part of something exciting. Mess Around is the UK’s leading messy play event provider with over 8 years of experience with a network of business owners across the UK. Once you have made your initial investment into your franchise, we are on hand to…

A look back at Mess Around 2019

As we kick off January in our usual messy style it’s a great time to reflect on the highs of 2019! We have BIG PLANS for 2020 including two exciting new messy themes to our Mess Around programme and we continue to hunt for the best of the best to join our team. Let’s look…

What’s your why?- Sarah loves being her own boss with Mess Around

As we take stock of another year past, January often becomes a time to really consider our futures and what gets us out of bed on a morning. Have you ever considered What’s your why?- why you get up and do what you do? Maybe it’s time to take stock and consider another career direction. …

What’s your why?- Discover why Rachelle took the plunge with Mess Around

Bringing the mess at the Holiday Park and Resort Innovation Show 2019

Well what a fantastic time we had at the Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show 2019, on 6-7th November at the NEC, Birmingham where we showcase the best of what Mess Around has to offer the holiday industry. The show bought together the Leisure, Hospitality and Tourism community who were looking for inspiration to entertain their customers.…

Behind the scenes at Mess Around Aberdeenshire and Moray

Emma joined the Mess Around family almost 3 years ago and runs regular SELL OUT sessions across Mess Around Aberdeenshire & Moray She is a pro with birthday parties and private events and brings a wealth of experience to our Mess Around gang. We hear from her on some of the ‘behind the scenes’ gossip on…

Behind the scenes at Mess Around South Yorkshire

Today we hear from Alanna at Mess Around South Yorkshire who joined the Mess Around family in December 2018. We have a fantastic family of franchisees from a variety of backgrounds who all bring their unique experience to their messy play businesses. Alanna shares a ‘behind the scenes’ perspective of her business below: Name Alanna Lonigro The…

Behind the scenes at Mess Around West Yorkshire

Today we hear from at Sarah from Mess Around West Yorkshire who joined the Mess Around family 3 year ago. We have a fantastic family of franchisees from a variety of backgrounds who all bring their unique experience to their messy play businesses. Sarah shares a ‘behind the scenes’ perspective of her business below: Name Sarah Tustin-Smith The…

Networking at the Women in Business Expo 2019

Mess Around is just back from the Women in Business Expo which took place on Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th October at the Farnborough International & Exhibition Centre. It was our opportunity to showcase the fantastic franchise opportunities that Mess Around has to offer and how we support women to take the leap into business ownership. We met some…

A wonderful evening at The Best Business Women Awards 2019

Dashing off from the Whats on 4 Kids Awards 2019, Krissy headed across London to the gala final of The Best Business Women Awards, held on 11th October 2019 at The Tower Hotel. The evening celebrated all the talented and dedicated female entrepreneurs who not only run successful businesses, but, in many cases, also juggle the…

Celebrating at the What’s on 4 Kids Awards 2019

On Friday 11th October 2019. We had the pleasure of attending the National What’s On 4 Kids Awards 2019 with Morton Michel! where Mess Around was nominated in the Most Loved Academic or Creative Activity- Franchisor or Independent Taught By 10 to 29 Leaders category. The ceremony was a fantastic celebration of children activity providers and their teams and…

Celebrating success at the Mess Around Conference 2019

Taking place on 28th September 2019, our annual Mess Around conference bought together our ever growing group of franchisees to make plans for the future, network and grow their businesses. And what a fantastic day we had recognising the success of our team, learning new skills and planning out the exciting new programme for 2020…

Finalists in the Franchise Marketing Awards for Best Website 2019

On Friday 4th October, we headed to The National Franchise Exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham, to see how we faired at the Franchise Marketing Awards. Mess Around was nominated for the ‘Best Website’ award up against a number of entries from a variety of different sectors.. Despite not winning the category we were thrilled to receive…

Mess Around’s Director, Krissy Monaghan wins bronze at the AFA Awards 2019

Back on the 19th September, Krissy Monaghan (Director of Mess Around Ltd) joined members of her team at the annual AFA Awards 2019 at the Jury’s Inn in Milton Keynes. They joined over 100 other franchisors, franchisees and suppliers from a variety of sectors at a champagne reception and dinner, with the opportunity to network…

Popolo Ceramico Managing Director to join Mess Around Annual Conference 2019

We are thrilled to have Christina Taylor-Chisholm, Managing Director of Popolo Ceramico joining us at our annual Mess Around conference this September. Taking place on 28th September 2019, our annual conference brings together our ever growing group of franchisees to make plans for the future, network and grow their businesses. Christina will be joining the conference running…

Stryde Managing Director to join Mess Around Annual Conference 2019

With our Mess Around Conference fast approaching we are thrilled to welcome Kieran James from Stryde as a guest speaker. Kieran will be joining at the conference to speak to our ever growing group of franchisees on the 28th September 2019, focusing on goal setting and the financial metrics behind this with the aim of…

Franchise Story: Getting messy in Cornwall

We are thrilled to announce that we have a NEW leader for Mess Around Cornwall. Let’s all give a big Mess Around wave to Kelly. Kelly loves in St Columb with her partner, step son Ollie & daughter Emily who is 2 and half. My Mess Around started in 2019 when we attended a Mess Around…

Mess Around will be exhibiting at the Holiday Park & Resort Innovation show this November

Mess Around is absolutely delighted to announce that we will be exhibiting at the Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show 2019, taking place between 6-7th November at the NEC, Birmingham. Leisure, Hospitality and Tourism World incorporates Holiday Park & Resort Innovation, Family Attraction Expo and Destination Hotel. Visitors will be looking for inspiration, advice and…

Finalists for ‘Best Franchisor’ at The Best Business Women Awards 2019

The Best Business Women Awards have announced their finalists for 2019 and we are thrilled to announce that Kristine Monaghan, Owner of Mess Around Ltd has been announced as a finalist in the ‘Best Franchisor’ category. The business world is full of talented and dedicated female entrepreneurs who not only run successful businesses but, in…

Finalists for Franchise Marketing Awards 2019

We are thrilled with our fantastic website and decided to enter when applications opened. Our new website needed to represent our market leading services, USPs and showcase all of the fantastic brands within the Mess Around ‘family’. In addition, the site needed to become a source of information on becoming a franchisee and joining our…

Born to Mess Around at Carfest South 2019

Mess Around had just about recovered from our very WET visit to CarFest North in July- so we were hoping the sun would be shining at CarFest South this August. Well- we couldn’t have been luckier- in fact, we had to pile on the suntan lotion as it was a scorcher! We had a wonderful visit…

Happy Birthday to us- 7 years of Mess Around

September is a BIG month for Mess Around- it’s when we celebrate our birthday and 2019 we are hitting our seventh year of messy play fun. We celebrate across the country with our Big Birthday Bash messy play events with birthday themed fun. We knew when Mess Around began back in 2012 that the business…

Finalists in the ‘What’s on 4 Kids Awards 2019’

The UK’s parents have voted in their thousands and Mess Around are thrilled to announce that we are FINALISTS in the National What’s On 4 Kids Awards 2019 with Morton Michel! in the Most Loved Academic or Creative Activity- Franchisor or Independent Taught By 10 to 29 Leaders category. According to What’s on 4 Kids its been a…

Perfect weather for ducks at CarFest North 2019

We came, we saw and we messed! Wow what a CarFest I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much mud in my life! We had a wonderful visit to CarFest North at Bolesworth, Cheshire- despite all the rain. Arriving on 26th July between 10-6pm- we spent 3 fabulously messy days in the ‘Kids Kingdom’ showcasing the Mess…

Franchise Story: Achieving your career dream

We are thrilled to announce that we have a NEW leader for Mess Around Northamptonshire Let’s all give a big Mess Around wave to Catherine who will be launching her first event in August 2019. Catherine is one of the youngest of the Mess Around family and hopes to show that you can achieve your career…

Finalist for Franchisor of the Year 2019 with the AFA (Approved Franchise Association)

Mess Around is absolutely delighted to announce our Director Krissy Monaghan has been named as a finalist for Franchisor of the Year 2019 with the AFA (Approved Franchise Association) The AFA is dedicated to promoting the highest standards and provides a fresh approach to supporting the continued success and growth of the Franchise Industry. We provide the UK…

Behind the Scenes at Mess Around South Wales

We are so lucky to have a great family of franchisees here at Mess Around. Our franchisees are from a variety of backgrounds and each run fantastic sessions in their region. We will be sharing regular ‘behind the scenes’ perspectives from our team- today we hear from Ceri from Mess Around South Wales. Name- Ceri Trigg…

Behind the Scenes at Mess Around Central Cheshire

We are so lucky to have a great family of franchisees here at Mess Around. Our franchisees are from a variety of backgrounds and each run fantastic sessions in their region. We will be sharing regular ‘behind the scenes’ perspectives from our team- today we hear Steph at Mess Around Central Cheshire. Name- Steph Massey The…

Behind the Scenes at Mess Around Oxfordshire

We are so lucky to have a great family of franchisees here at Mess Around. Our franchisees are from a variety of backgrounds and each run fantastic sessions in their region. We will be sharing regular ‘behind the scenes’ perspectives from our team- today we hear from award winning franchisee Mess Around Oxfordshire. Name –…

Behind the Scenes at Mess Around Beds & North Bucks

Bringing the Mess to CarFest!

Mess Around is absolutely delighted to announce that we will be bringing the Mess to CarFest this year in the North (Cheshire) and South (Hampshire) Founded by Chris Evans (TV and Radio Celebrity) to raise funds for Children in Need, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Rainbow Trust, Starlight Children’s Foundation and the Teenager Cancer Trust it’s…

Mess Around will be exhibiting at the Women in Business Expo in Farnborough this October!

Mess Around is absolutely delighted to announce that we will be exhibiting at the Women in Business Expo on Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th October at the Farnborough International & Exhibition Centre. Women In Business Expo is a clarion call to all women across the UK looking for opportunities in business and work. The expo will…

Mess Around launches brand new Resource Website

This month Mess Around is excited to launch our brand new Mess Around Resource website. It’s been designed to provide you with all the resources you need to help you run a successful Mess Around business. We recognise that to run a successful business you need a robust system to follow and have access to the…

Father’s Day- The Dad’s behind our Mess Around family

With Father’s Day fast approaching we wanted to give an insight into the Fathers behind Mess Around. Taking on board a Mess Around franchise and running your own messy play business can be a family affair. So, we asked some of our team’s family how they have been involved in Mess Around and what the…

Taking the first step on your exciting Mess Around Journey

Taking the first steps to owning your own Mess Around franchise is really simple. You will become part of a successful and hard-working network of like-minded people, all keen to contribute to the overall growth and success of your franchise and that of Mess Around. We want to ensure that our franchise is right for…

Celebrating a WIN at The Club Hub Awards 2019

We were thrilled back in October when several of our franchisees were nominated for the Club Hub Awards 2019, so we were patiently waiting for May 2019 to appear in the calendar so we could make a trip to London for the networking and awards ceremony at the Balls Brothers, Minster Court. For those of…

Celebrating Mess Around Franchisee Satisfaction after 2019 survey

Mess Around Ltd are thrilled to share our recent results from the ‘WorkBuzz’s Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark Survey’. WorkBuzz (a leading independent franchise consultancy that helps franchisors to improve network performance and growth) led an online survey in which our franchisees were able to participate. We encouraged all our franchisees to complete the survey and individuals…

Celebrating recognition at the EWIF (Encouraging Women into Franchising) Awards 2019

Well what an evening we had in London on Wednesday 1st May 2019 at the EWIF (Encouraging Women into Franchising) awards. The awards sponsored by Natwest and Franchise Finance took place at the RBS Building, 280 Bishopsgate, London. Our Director, Krissy Monaghan was eagerly awaiting the results during the awards, as she had been named as a finalist…

Whats on 4 Kids Awards: Vote for Mess Around Ltd as ‘Most Loved Academic or Creative Activity- Franchisor or Independent Taught By 10 to 29 Leaders’ category

Mess Around is absolutely thrilled to announce that we have been nominated in the Whats on 4 Kids Awards 2019 and nominations are now open for you to vote for us in the Most Loved Academic or Creative Activity- Franchisor or Independent Taught By 10 to 29 Leaders category Whats on 4 Kids started back in 2006,…

Franchise Story: Getting the work, life balance back

We are thrilled to announce that we have a NEW leader for Mess Around West Suffolk. Let’s all give a big Mess Around wave to Rachelle who will be launching her first event in June 2019. Rachelle has a busy house- she is mum to three wonderful girls along with being a step mum to two…

Krissy Monaghan, finalist for Woman Franchisor of the Year with EWIF (Encouraging Women into Franchising)

Mess Around is absolutely delighted to announce our Director Krissy Monaghan has been named as a finalist for Woman Franchisor of the Year 2019 with EWIF (Encouraging Women into Franchising) a not-for-profit organisation run entirely by volunteers, providing advice and guidance to women looking for a route into the franchise industry. Franchising can be a…

Mess Around wins highly commended at the Family Network Awards

Mess Around is delighted to be awarded Highly Commended for Business Growth of 2019 at the Family Network Business Recognition Awards on Saturday 23rd March at Hilton Double Tree in the London Docklands. The Family Network is supports businesses across the UK by hosting networking opportunities, affordable workshops & events and giving business owners the…

Why a franchise is better than going it alone

Considering starting your own business? If you have been considering starting your own business or whether to invest in a franchise, we truly believe that investing in a proven concept, like a Mess Around franchise is the best option if you are looking to get working straight away and reap the rewards of business ownership.…