Ben Birchall. lives in Lichfield with his wife Debs and their 4 children.
The couple set up the little Green Frog café in Lichfield in 2016 and also run the little Green Bookworm café in Sutton Coldfield. The café has become a hub for the parents of Lichfield, with the main focuses being food, drink and play. People can reserve tables, there is lots of space for pushchairs, the menu is consistent and whilst other venues offer up kid’s menus of something and chips, LGF steers more towards healthy sandwiches, weaning platters and smoothies.
Having spent many years working in the corporate world, Ben had a lightbulb moment after his 21-month old son, Caleb, suffered a stroke from which he did not survive. Ben has always believed that there is more to life than work, but losing Caleb made him even more committed to creating the right balance in his life and making the most of every moment.
In December 2012 Ben resigned from his role as an HR Director and set about creating a career that included his family and gave him the flexibility to strike the right balance of health, wealth and happiness.
Ben believes that people shouldn’t have to experience life changing moments, like his, to realise that they can strike a better balance in their lives and the people that he has met and the stories that he has heard since setting up the little Green Frog café have reinforced this.
It is this philosophy that led Ben to spending time with Charlotte and Clara, exploring how they could develop a community that would support families and brake down the barriers that stop us from achieving our ideal balance of health, wealth and happiness. . . Nurture was reborn and we can’t wait to share it with you!
Ben says: “All three of us involved in Nurture know that having kids and trying to juggle everything is exhausting, so we want to create something that has a real impact on the community, where people can have as much or as little involvement as they want. Our key focuses are health, wealth and happiness. We want Nurture to become a hub where families can go for what they need, whether that is networking, exercise, somewhere they can do an activity with the kids or just have a bit of time out and ‘me’ time. Most people are in the pursuit of happiness and are often asking what next? My experience with Caleb has taught me about the importance of now and I hope Nurture will help more people embrace the now. Becoming a parent changes your life and whilst it is a wonderful experience for many it can be a time where they feel overwhelmed, lonely, like they have lost part of themselves and that they are at a crossroads. Nurture will help people through that crossroads and help guide them through the questions of what they want and where they want to be.”
He says:” I love family time, spending time with Debs and the kids. One thing I have learnt is the importance of enjoying what you have got whilst you have got it. So, whilst work does keep me busy, I am very conscious of having specific quality time with family and friends. If you can’t spend time having fun with the people you love where is the pleasure in life?”
Nurture Network will be launching a series of community partner events from September 2019.
