AN East Renfrewshire businesswoman is the talk of the town after winning plaudits for her efforts to teach Spanish to babies and toddlers.

Rachel Peebles runs Estrellas Brillantes, which translates as ‘Shining Stars.’
Her love of languages was inspired by the nine years she spent working as a missionary in Bolivia, where Spanish is the official language.

Now she has been named as a finalist in the 2021 Club Hub Children’s Activity Awards.
Rachel, 40, is in the running in two categories – Female Entrepreneur and Franchisee of the Year.

She told the Barrhead News: “I’m so thrilled to have made the finals, as the standard of application was extremely high and represented a diverse range of children’s activities, clubs and related businesses.

“To be selected in not one but two hugely-popular categories is incredible and a real boost after such a difficult year.”

Rachel, who is self-taught, said she feels a “real connection” to the Spanish language.

When she returned to East Renfrewshire from Bolivia, she decided to start a Spanish club in Busby, teaching babies, toddlers and children of primary school age.

“Although nothing beats face-to-face teaching, my online classes have been working really well during lockdown,” said Rachel, who lives in Eaglesham. “As well as benefitting from continued learning, my students have enjoyed seeing their classmates on screen and there are lots of new, interactive activities we can do on Zoom too."

The award winners will be announced in September.

To find out more about Rachel’s classes, call 0753 518 3398 or visit here.