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Former teacher among top female entrepreneurs

BBC/Victoria Scheer Mrs Briggs stands in front of a colourful wall which features shelves filled with tools. She wears a black t-shirt with the words "we make amazing" in white letters on the front and the business logo below.BBC/Victoria Scheer
Amazelab founder Leonie Briggs has been named as one of the UK's top 100 female entrepreneurs.

A former chemistry teacher who wants to inspire the next generation of scientists has been named as one of the UK's top 100 female entrepreneurs.

Leonie Briggs, who is 42 and from Barnsley, set up her business Amazelab from her dining room table nearly five years ago.

Mrs Briggs now delivers workshops and education material to get children interested in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM).

The mother-of-two said learning she had been included in Small Business Britain's annual list of top female role models for 2025 had left her "over the moon and shocked".

Mrs Briggs started by delivering virtual STEAM workshops to children during the pandemic in 2020.

Setting up conical flasks on her dining room table and using a simple webcam, she wanted to design and deliver practical, safe and affordable experiments children could join in with at home.

BBC/Victoria Scheer Four children wearing safety goggles can be seen standing around a table. A pile of empty plastic cups have been collected in an orange tray. In a purple tray, a plastic cup stands filled with green, fizzy, foam that pours down the sides. To the right, a little boy stands in front the table using a pipette. He has several plastic cups filled with dark liquid standing in front of him.BBC/Victoria Scheer
Hoyland Common Primary School pupils Poppy, Teddy, Zeina and Bobby during a science experiment

"I was so passionate about young people not missing out on practical science skills, I just raided our house, the garage, the kitchen - anything that I could get my hands on that was nice and safe," she recalled.

"I started to broadcast into the nation and to my own pupils and we definitely destroyed that dining room table, there were chemical reactions happening all over it."

Mrs Briggs, who lives in Hoyland Common with husband David and their children, said she hoped her sessions would leave a lasting impression and love for STEAM subjects.

"You just do not know who you've got in front of you in your classroom," she said.

"To play such a tiny part or even to just ignite a little spark in what they might go on to do in the future, I think is such a privilege and honour."

Amazelab now works with dozens of schools, libraries, museums, charities and community groups to deliver workshops across South Yorkshire and beyond.

One of the schools working with Mrs Briggs is Hoyland Common Primary School.

Teacher Cameron Thomas told the BBC pupils had "absolutely loved" the Amazelab workshops.

BBC/Victoria Scheer Three children stand in front of a table with a purple cover. The girl to the right holds on to a turquoise tray filled with plastic cups that have tipped over to the side. Greenish liquid has collected at the bottom of the tray. They all wear safety goggles.BBC/Victoria Scheer
Hoyland Common Primary School pupils Max, Archie and Isla

"I think the children like that they are accessible, whether that's for children with additional needs or children who are overachieving for where they should be in their age.

"Any experiment is accessible as long as you put the right adaptations in place. Science is for everyone."

The Small Business Britain's annual female entrepreneur awards will take place on 8 March.

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