About us

History

Over 30 years Nipperbout has grown from a boutique family business to a nationally recognised, award-winning company that cares for over 10,000 children a year.


Nipperbout's story began in 1992 when Janthea and Steve Brigden, both accomplished actors, embarked on a new chapter in their lives. As they started their own family, they encountered a recurring challenge: the inability to find reliable childcare while attending auditions or working at events.

Janthea realised that leaving children in someone else’s care was a huge leap of faith so, together they set out to bridge this gap in the market and  Nipperbout was born.

Drawing from her experience delivering courses for ParentLine Plus, a renowned national family support charity, Janthea infused Nipperbout with knowledge and expertise. This foundation proved invaluable in shaping the philosophies and services that continue to define Nipperbout today.

During the mid-90s, Janthea and Steve contributed to the creation of the First Festival Guide, affectionately known as the "Purple Guide" which continues to serve as the gold standard for festival childcare. Their insights and expertise were also sought after in consulting on the e-Guide for The Association of Event Venues. This involvement in industry resources exemplifies Nipperbout's dedication to shaping and advancing childcare standards at events.

Nipperbout’s Lost Child Points and Purple People are synonymous with many world-class events, most notably the London Olympics and the Queen’s Platinum and Diamond Jubilees, reuniting missing and found children with their parents and carers.

Today Nipperbout not only directly work with over 10,000 children each year at events, exhibitions, conferences and festivals, but we train event, security and childcare teams. Our CPD-accredited in-person and online training courses embody all we have learnt in our 30 years of looking after children at events to make events across the globe much happier and safer places to be.

Children have an amazing time and delegates have peace of mind so they can relax and enjoy our conferences – I can't think of a better service than that!
Karen Handley, NEU