A West Ealing businesswoman who began teaching STEM skills in a local classroom has been recognised nationally for her work inspiring the next generation of inventors and engineers.
Former primary school teacher Laura Cross, who lives in West Ealing, won Silver in the Best Businesswoman Working with Children & Families category at the Best Business Women Awards 2025. Ms Cross is the founder of Inventors & Makers, an education company she started in Ealing to help children aged two to eleven explore science, technology, engineering and design through creativity and play.
Ms Cross still runs after-school clubs at Christ the Saviour Primary School, where she first introduced her practical, creative approach to STEM learning. The company has since grown into a London-wide initiative and now a national teacher-led franchise network. Through a team of qualified teachers – known as Inventioneers – Inventors & Makers delivers hands-on workshops, clubs and virtual sessions in schools, nurseries, museums and libraries across the UK.
She said: “I started Inventors & Makers here in Ealing because I wanted to show children that engineering and design can be creative, hands-on and for everyone. To be recognised nationally means a lot, especially knowing how far we’ve come from those first few workshops right here in Ealing.”
