Established In Exmouth in 2002 and with national headquarters in Woodbury, Devon, The Creation Station has been shortlisted in the Brand Innovation category for the British Franchise Association (bfa) HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards.

Sarah Cressall founded Creation Station in 2002 in Exmouth, supported by her husband Duncan and sister Fran. The business inspires children’s imaginations and nurtures potential through hands-on arts and crafts classes, parties, events and products. When creating the business, Sarah took inspiration from the activities enjoyed by her three young sons, making it a true family affair, and franchised the business in 2007.

Running for nearly 30 years and established to celebrate franchisors across the UK, the bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards look to recognise the very best franchise businesses, highlighting in particular franchisors who offer excellent employee support, company culture, innovation and commitment to franchising ethics.

The Brand Innovation Award is open to all bfa franchisor members and celebrates businesses that push the boundaries to stay ahead of the competition.

Creation Station made the finalist shortlist as it has implemented positive change to improve the traditional franchise business model, creating a ‘family feel’ to its franchise network, which values and celebrates the contributions and hard work of its 104 franchise owners.

Sarah Cressall, Founder of Creation Station, commented: “Developing ideas and creative thinking is a big part of what we do, and we are absolutely thrilled to have been shortlisted for this prestigious award. Many of our ideas are developed by listening to our fantastic customers and wonderful franchise owners. We are very proud of their commitment, which has helped us to inspire over 325,000 children and families.”

Pip Wilkins, CEO at the bfa said: “Looking through the entries made us very proud and humbled to be part of such a successful industry, and those who are just starting their franchising journeys can take inspiration from what these brands have achieved.”

Andrew Brattesani, UK Head of Franchise at HSBC, added: “This is the third year I have been involved in picking the finalists and it is one of the jobs I dread most during the year. Comparing excellence with excellence is never easy and I can honestly say that the standard of entries we receive continues to amaze me.”