Director and Family Consultant
Claire Burgess
Claire always wanted to be a Nanny, from the moment she got her very first toy pram! At the age of 13 she went for an interview at Norland College; still too young to enrol, she did all she could to gain experience with children before officially being accepted to start at Norland in 1998 – her dream had come true!
After she qualified, Claire went on to work as a nanny and in private nurseries. During this time she was able to gain extensive experience working with children and their families and had opportunities to travel all over the world, including USA, UAE and Europe, talking about her favourite topic…children! Claire has written and delivered corporate training in early years (for example to Etihad Airlines) and in 2014 won the Nursery World Award for Trainer of the Year. In 2008 Claire returned to Norland to work as an education lecturer and then Head of Research, Consultancy and Training prior to leaving to set up Bespoke Family in August 2018.
Claire has written for various publications including EYE, Mother and Baby and Smallish magazines and is an honorary consultant and volunteer for Twins Trust. Claire continues to nanny and work with children so that her skills are current and to ensure that her training and advice is practical and relevant. She undertakes regular continuing professional development activities on topics such as sleep, bereavement, routines, feeding etc.
Director and Business Manager
Rebekah (Becks) Frankcom
Rebekah went to the University of Staffordshire where she studied business and marketing. Her first employer after university was The Royal Bank of Scotland where she worked in various marketing roles, ultimately as a Marketing Communications Manager.
In 2002 Rebekah went to work for Norland College as their Marketing Manager. Her most recent position at the college was as Head of External Communications, Agency and Alumni, with responsibility for marketing, PR, the college alumni and the Norland Agency (Norland’s in house nanny recruitment agency). She left Norland in September 2018 after 16 years.
Throughout her career, Rebekah has always been passionate about ensuring that clients and families receive the very best quality of service at all times, and this is something she will continue to deliver at Bespoke Family.
Rebekah is a Twinline Listener for Twins Trust and has twins herself.
Family Consultant
Emily Darwell
Emily knew from a young age that she wanted to work in Childcare. As a second generation Norland Nanny, childcare is in her blood - she remembers playing dress up in her Mothers’ uniform, hoping she would one day become a Norland Nanny herself.
Emily graduated from Norland College in 2008 with Distinction and was awarded ‘The Norlander’ award for outstanding practice. Since then she has supported many families around the world - Emily has loved the different opportunities her career so far have given her. She has worked in many different roles including as a nanny, proxy parent and maternity practitioner. Since 2014 Emily has worked on a 1:1 basis with families helping them overcome issues or concerns regarding sleep and behaviour.
Emily places the child at the centre of everything she does and naturally empathises with the children in her care. This enables her to best support families and help children to reach their full potential. She continues to attend courses to ensure she is up to date with the world of childcare and to continue her professional development and qualifications. Emily is a qualified Maternity Practitioner and has also attended various courses to develop her skills and knowledge in the subject of sleep.
At the beginning of 2020 Emily welcomed her son Beau into the world, her greatest achievement and no doubt biggest challenge to date! In April 2022 she welcomed the beautiful Alba to join her gorgeous family. Emily is over the moon to be part of the Bespoke Family team and continuing to do what she loves by helping and supporting children and their families.
Family Consultant
Maihri Cameron
Maihri has always had an interest in child development and enabling children to learn – she started to put this into practice when she started her studies at Norland College. She graduated from Norland with Distinction and a 1st Class Honours degree in Early Childhood Studies in 2012 and went on to work as a full time nanny in London – she loved being part of the family who she is still in touch with 10 years on!
In 2017 Maihri completed a Masters degree in Psychology, following which she completed a mental health placement in Sri Lanka where she supported families in poverty that had children with special educational needs. In 2018 Maihri began her PhD in developmental psychology focusing on peer acceptance throughout middle childhood (she hopes to graduate in December 2022). In addition to this study Maihri continues to attend continuing professional development courses to ensure she is keeping up to date with current practice.
Maihri has worked as a nanny all over the world and enjoys working with families as a whole so that parents can build strong happy relationships with their children. She lives in Perthshire in Scotland and is passionate about the fabulous surrounding countryside and encouraging children and parents alike to get outdoors!
family consultant / administrator
Lucy Oladapo
Lucy knew she wanted to work with children from a very young age and her parents were adamant that if she wanted to follow that path, she simply must train at Norland College. So as soon as she was old enough, she did exactly that!
After qualifying from Norland with Distinction, Lucy went on to work as a nanny for many families, mainly in London but also overseas, including a year in the Caribbean. Lucy has stayed in touch with many of her former charges and has formed many lasting relationships over the years.
In 2015, Lucy's first daughter was born and soon after that, her family relocated from London to Wiltshire where Lucy took a job back at Norland supporting students and Newly Qualified Nannies through their training and beyond. Lucy's second daughter was born in 2022 and Lucy is now very much enjoying being a Mum of two. Lucy is enjoying being part of the Bespoke Family team as a Family Consultant and loves supporting families and carers as well as providing administrative support to Claire and Becks.