Behind the sparkly tiaras and bejewelled gowns which she dons for her day job, the Burnley woman behind children’s party business More Than Just a Princess has the fight of a pirate.
Lauren Saddington, who dresses up as various characters from royalty to villains when she hosts children’s parties, has seen her business go from strength to strength despite launching it just one year before the pandemic at the age of 21 and now facing the cost of living crisis. She has even carved out a successful second career as a Tik Tok influencer and landed her own podcast after creating viral online content.
Commenting on the secrets to her success, the 25-year-old said: “I think it’s my passion for entertaining children and making their dreams come true. I’m like a big kid. I’m very good at entertaining children because it’s very natural to me. I love having fun with the kids and making them laugh, and they make me laugh. It’s singing and dancing with them. I’m not robotic: I put my personality into all the characters.”
She cut her teeth in children’s entertainment by working for a Burnley business from 15 to 21-years-old. She then decided to branch out on her own and set up More Than Just a Princess around Christmas 2018.
When lockdown hit, Lauren took her business online and began hosting live Zoom quizzes for families, with people tuning in from as far as Spain and New York.
Lauren said: “Having my own company has been my dream. But then lockdown hit and I’d only had one year to run my business.
"I thought, ‘What am I going to do?’
“I started doing quizzes, which became a huge part of my business in 2020.”
When lockdown lifted, she had become so popular that she began hosting Hallowe’en and Christmas events for families.
She added: “It’s not about the money for me. It’s about seeing children’s faces and watching them growing up when doing their parties at three-years-old and then at seven.
"I love the magic of it.
"It’s about how we make memories for families. I love running my business in my town and giving children magic and making adults feel like children again. It’s the best job in the world making children’s dreams come true.”
Check out some of Lauren’s characters in our photo gallery:
