Young person successfully starts small business alongside earning a First Class Degree

Tameside’s own Molly Edwards earns a First Class Degree whilst balancing the running of her small business, The Magic Burrow.

Molly Edwards, 21, has recently left University with a First-Class Degree in the combined Childhood & Youth and Early Childhood course. She earned this award whilst successfully starting a small business in the heart of Droylsden – The Magic Burrow.

The Magic Burrow, located at 81 Market Street, is an enchanted forest-themed sensory and imaginary play centre. The whole set-up is aimed at providing a calm, inclusive environment by housing a sensory room, imaginary play, chill-out zones, and the more recent addition of adults-only social and craft nights.

Molly explained that, growing up in the area, she noticed that families had little to do and that there were few places for those with sensory overwhelm to play comfortably. She hopes that The Magic Burrow provides a calm and inclusive alternative to the bright lights and loud noise of traditional play areas.

The idea to start an inclusive play area came from her time working as a 1:1 and 2:1 support worker for Endorphins in Salford. Molly said that she felt the stress of looking after children who were flight risks, noting the lack of safe spaces for children with high sensory needs, encouraging her to advocate for children who can’t advocate for themselves.

The theme of the magical play area came from Molly’s own Grandad, who had saved a special story written by Molly as a young child.

“One story I wrote as a child was about a magical tree burrow that kids stepped inside to escape to a magical world. Without realising it, I built my childhood dream.”

Molly told us that whilst her partner, Chris, physically built the space, she was managing construction, running the business, and writing her dissertation, demonstrating her commitment by attending Zoom calls while sitting on the live construction site.

The First Class student, the first in her family to attend University, presented her devotion to the creation of The Magic Burrow by completing a dissertation that was deeply tied to the business. It focused on childhood experiences of “masking” and how environments can be designed so neurodivergent children don’t feel forced to fit in.

Molly explained how, despite the struggles of balancing University with starting a business, she received precious support from those around her. She publicly thanks her partner, Chris, her Grandad, her Mum, Dave Merryweather – her University Tutor, and her friends for making her recent achievements possible.

The Magic Burrow, as special as many call it, is only the beginning. Molly explained how she has big dreams of expanding The Magic Burrow to open up multiple branches across the region in order to help as many families as possible, living out her dream of having a happy life and making the biggest impact possible by giving hope to those who don’t feel like they belong.

Molly tells the community, “Fight the stereotypes. If you come from a low-income background, face learning difficulties or people tell you you're too young—go for it anyway. To anyone who feels out of place: don't give up, because people like me are out here actively making space for you.”