Our twin children, Lara and Jude, now almost three, have been with Sharon since they were just under a year old, and we genuinely could not have asked for a better childminder.

Both of our children were born extremely premature at 24 weeks and spent a significant amount of time in hospital. Because of this, choosing the right person to care for them was a huge decision for us. We needed someone we could completely trust, and from the very beginning Sharon gave us that confidence. Over the past two years, she has become like part of our family.

Sharon genuinely loves and cares for Lara and Jude, and it is obvious how much they love her too. She is incredibly reliable and has always provided them with a safe, warm and welcoming environment. Her home is absolutely spotless, and we have always felt completely comfortable leaving the children in her care.

She puts a huge amount of effort into making their days fun and varied. She regularly takes them to playgroups, including activities with live music, singing and dancing, and does lots of arts and crafts, painting and other activities at home. They spend plenty of time playing outside too, and in the summer they absolutely love things like playing in the paddling pool, always carefully supervised.

One of the things we have appreciated most is the amount of individual attention Sharon gives to their development. She has gone far beyond what we ever expected, teaching them words, numbers, colours and emotions, reading books with them and constantly encouraging them to learn and communicate. She has also helped them try new foods and become more confident and independent. We genuinely don't think they would have received this same level of individual care and attention in a larger nursery setting.

Sharon also regularly does thoughtful little things for the children simply because she cares about them. She has bought them books and flashcards to help with their learning and has given them lovely personal gifts, such as snow globes at Christmas. None of this is expected, but it says a lot about the kind of person she is and how invested she is in the children she looks after.

Communication with us has always been excellent. She keeps us regularly updated about what the children have been doing and how they are getting on. We have also really appreciated her sensible approach to childhood illnesses. She understands that young children get minor coughs and colds and doesn't unnecessarily send them home, while of course taking things seriously when they are genuinely unwell.

We would have happily kept Lara and Jude with Sharon until they started school. Unfortunately, we are moving away, which is the only reason we are leaving. It is genuinely very emotional for us because the children adore her, and she has been such an important part of their lives for the past two years. There is clearly a very special bond between them.

We feel incredibly lucky that Lara and Jude have had Sharon caring for them during such an important part of their early childhood. She is kind, caring, dependable, patient and completely dedicated to the children in her care.

We could not recommend Sharon more highly. Any family would be incredibly fortunate to have her as their childminder, and we are very sad to be saying goodbye.

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