I had heard of Nanny Louenna, a trained Norland Nanny, via my NCT group. They had suggested following her on Instagram, and had talked about her app. So I followed her from when my daughter was small. Based on years of looking after little ones as a nanny she had gathered a wealth of knowledge on how to best care for little ones. I found her tips useful and her calm and confident approach supportive whilst looking for solutions for an unhappy baby, often in the middle of the night.

But, it was early in 2022, at the beginning of the war in Ukraine, that Nanny Louenna was particularly on our radar. Louenna worked really quickly to gather supplies for families dealing with the terrifying situation of war. She gathered blankets, baby food, formula, clothing, and essentials. At Penny and Lola, we along with thousands of others donated items via their Amazon Wishlist. But while many of us felt helpless, and the best we could cope to do was to send money or donate items with the hope that it would reach the right people, Louenna ensured that the donations would go directly to the right place. In February 2022, the countless supplies from the Amazon Wishlist arrived at Louenna’s home in Suffolk which was loaded onto containers and shipped to Poland in three separate trips. Louenna then turned her attention to fundraising and raised a staggering £190,000. She teamed up with Luisa Zissman and flew to Romania where they crossed the border into Ukraine, to make sure the money was spent directly in the right place, to help children and families fleeing the war.

This was such a valuable act of support, and an impressive undertaking. Louenna was included in the New Year’s Honours list with a British Empire Medal, which she will be awarded later this year, and is so well deserved.
During the fundraising, I realised that Louenna, lived about 15 minutes away from Penny and Lola HQ. In January this year, I dropped her a line, when I realised she had heard of the Happy Song. So, I popped over for a cuppa and to hear more about what Louenna had been up to.

You might have seen on her social media, the walks she was doing throughout January, as part of Red January. This was intended to help mums and little ones to get out of the house, get some fresh air and allow toddlers to toddle. This seemed such a good idea to us, as sometimes on grey days, you do need some encouragement to get outside. And we all know how much better you can feel if you do.

There is no doubt that Louenna is driven by empathy, her most recent fundraising has been to support Hertfordshire charity Sebby’s Corner. The charity was to set up for the most vulnerable, to support children in poverty. They have a ‘donate a gift’ initiative for kid’s who are unlikely to receive a birthday present. As well as that they gather formula for babies. You can support them in their mission, by heading to their website and clicking Get Involved. Louenna has recently reached out to her followers, to help gather two-car loads of formula for babies in need.

For fans of The Happy Song, head across to Nanny Louenna’s Instagram to get involved with an exciting Penny and Lola giveaway.