Behind the Scenes: Meet the People Behind GLTC's Social Media Channels

Have you ever tweeted us? Liked one of our photos on Instagram? Or had a quick chat with our blue and white GLTC logo on Facebook? If so, you might be wondering who's sat behind the keyboard typing away and answering your questions or replying to your lovely comments. Well, wonder no more. Today, we're talking to Lisa (on the left) and Claire (on the right) who look after all things social media-related at Great Little Trading Co.

Name: Lisa Neatham
Role: Head of Ecommerce

What do you love most about your job?

I love working for a small company, it means you get to do a bit of everything. Every single person who works at GLTC matters, everyone’s opinion gets listened too and we all play an important part in day to day life of GLTC. It’s lovely coming into work in the morning an everybody having the same passion and enthusiasm for what we do.

My role is so varied, you never know exactly what you have in store for the day ahead. One day I could be planning ways to improve the experience of the website, the next day working on the next marketing campaign or catching up with our fab testing team. I love that I have a bit of everything, technical, strategic, creative and relationship building. I never get bored!

Do you have a favourite #mygltc photo from 2018?

It’s so hard to choose, there have been so many fantastic pics this year. However this one by @travel.glam.mom stands out in my mind. It takes me back to our amazing, hot summer and I just thought it was just brilliant that they decided to take our Lolly & Scoop Ice Cream Shop down to the beach for some make believe ice creams.

I enjoyed reading the story behind it, and it made me laugh to hear that 10 children ended up lining up for their make believe ice cream. For me that just encapsulates everything our toys are designed to do - stimulate imaginations, encourage conversation and withstand lots of play (even down the beach!).

You find yourself alone in the GLTC office, which toy do you play with while no one's there to see?

Whenever I have meetings with external companies, they always love to come to our office so they can play with the toys! Everyone is always drawn towards our Peppermint Play Kitchen and straight away they start turning the knobs on the oven and looking inside the cupboards.

For me, my favourite is the Willow Farm, quite simply as there is SO much to play with, I am constantly finding a new hidden feature. I love that there’s 360 degrees of play value and there’s so much detail inside the barns and stables too. One of my favourite parts is the hay winch which actually moves up and down so you can move the hay stacks about.

The farm animals are very cute with their little felt sticky out ears, I think the pigs are my favourite! It’s great that there’s not only your traditional barns, stables, pig sty & fencing but also a farmer’s market stall, beehive and chicken coop too! This would have been my favourite toy as a little girl.

Which of the current bedding designs would you have asked your parents for as a child and why?

It definitely would have been the In the Garden print! I loved anything with ladybirds and bugs on, with different illustrations I could copy and most likely try to draw myself! I spent a lot of time outdoors as a child as we loved camping, so I was always collecting leaves, flowers and bugs.

What are you hoping to find under your Christmas tree this year?

I am desperate for a dog, however I don’t think Father Christmas will be leaving me one of those this year! I have been trying to be a bit more ethical with my Christmas shopping this year, buying plastic free products, quality items that will last a long time or products made from recycled materials, so I am hoping whatever it is will follow my new approach to shopping.

No one can resist a family film at Christmas, what are your favourite films to watch in December?

Who can’t resist a bit of Elf! It’s what I watch whilst wrapping my Christmas presents. But my all time classic is Sleepless in Seattle as I always watched it with my sister and my nan, I love the soundtrack.

What makes a happy home for you?

Noise! I grew up in a home which was always buzzing with noise, laughter and conversation, so I always think a noisy home is a happy home. I am all too often guilty of spending too much time head down looking at my phone rather than engaging in conversation around me. For children, the amount of language they are exposed to at a young age is important in shaping their vocabulary and helping them develop a larger spectrum of language, so if we’re off our screens and talking to each other then for me, that’s a happy home! 

Name: Claire
Role: Digital Content Executive

What do you love most about your job?

I love working on the campaigns we run, such as Better Bedtimes and Buy Wood, Buy Once. It’s great to be able to explain to our customers why our products will be useful for their family in a creative, inspiring way. As part of these campaigns I enjoy writing up engaging social media posts and discovering other small companies/organisations to partner with on giveaways and guest blog posts. I also love seeing the response we get from our followers on social media. It’s fantastic when we get positive feedback I can pass on to the whole team.

Do you have a favourite #mygltc photo from 2018?

Another great part of my job is choosing the winner of our #mygltc competition each month – it’s so enjoyable looking through all the lovely photos we get tagged in. It’s very hard to pinpoint a favourite but this one by @southlondonmama does have that extra wow factor for me.

She’s created such a magical, cosy den for her daughter. It’s fab that our teepees can be used for play or as a book nook. I would love one myself for snuggling up in with a good book! I’m also a big fan of any #mygltc photos which feature pets!

You find yourself alone in the GLTC office, which toy do you play with while no one's there to see?

As a child I loved playing shops, so I’d have to choose the Sixpence Play Shop & Theatre. It would have been the dream toy for my younger self! I love that it has a blackboard to write the name of your shop on and that it can be teamed with lots of fun accessories. I’d turn it into a café with the Star Beans Coffee Shop as that’s another of my favourites. It’s so wonderful that there’s even many more magical ways it can be played with – a wizard supply shop, a post office, a florist, a puppet theatre etc.

Which of the current bedding designs would you have asked your parents for as a child and why?

I would have loved our Christmas duvet cover set to get me into the festive spirit. It makes the countdown to Christmas even more exciting! If we did it in a big enough size I think I’d even have it for my bedroom now!

What are you hoping to find under your Christmas tree this year?

I’m a bit of a bookworm so have asked for a few books including a plant-based cook book. Like Lisa, I am also trying to shop more sustainably this Christmas and so is my partner. Hopefully he’ll have some plastic-free goodies wrapped up for me (in recycled paper) under the Christmas tree!

You have a Masters in Children's Literature, what are your top five festive book recommendations for children?

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs – This magical, wordless picture book is an essential for Christmas bedtime stories. The beautiful illustrations are sure to wow children and make them dream of a white Christmas!

Dear Santa by Rod Campbell – A festive version of the classic Dear Zoo, this one is great for introducing the littlest of little ones to Christmas. The lift-up flaps provide a wonderful sensory experience.

Snow in the Garden by Shirley Hughes – A new release for 2018, this book by beloved children’s author Shirley Hughes is the sort I would have adored as a child! Not only does it include seasonal poems, it also features simple instructions for festive recipes and crafts. It’s a must-have for keeping children entertained during the Christmas holidays.

Teddies Letters by Pete Bowman – This was my favourite Christmas book as a child and one that I read over and over again! It’s a popup book that includes individual mini Christmas cards that you can take out and read. I remember being absolutely mesmerised by all the little details. It’s a rather vintage book now so you might be able to pick it up in a charity shop, or The Jolly Christmas Postman is a great alternative.

The Fir Tree by Tove Jansson – Some of us would have grown up with the Moomins and the good news is that they’re getting a revamp with a new TV series next year. What better way to introduce children to the bizarre and wonderful world of Moominvalley then by sharing this Christmas story with them. There’s also a special edition of The Fir Tree combined with another Moomin story (The Invisible Child) available and the profits of each copy sold go to Oxfam.

Finally, what makes a happy home for you?

Plants! I love to bring a bit of nature indoors – I think plants and flowers add vitality to a room and it always makes me feel happier having fresh flowers on the coffee table! The great thing is that they can have health benefits too. In my bedroom I have a Snake Plant which is good for cleaning the air and a bunch of lavender to help me relax after a busy day.

If you want to chat to Lisa and Claire, you can find them on Facebook  or Instagram.