Carrie Ann Booth, a former science teacher turned award-winning entrepreneur, is making national headlines again, this time as the winner of two prestigious awards and a top 10 spot in a UK-wide ranking of children’s activity providers.
Just 18 months after walking away from the classroom, Carrie Ann has been crowned Woman Who Achieves in Business 2025 and Supplier of the Year at the Club Hub UK – Kids Activities Awards, which celebrate the best in the children’s activity sector. Her business, The Science Booth – Cumbria was also named #9 in the UK in Club Hub’s Top 100 Children’s Activity Providers list for 2025.
But her journey to this point is anything but typical.
Growing up in poverty in a council house “infested with fleas,” Carrie Ann found her escape route in science. Now based in Carlisle, she’s on a mission to make science awesome, hands-on, and wildly accessible, especially for children who, like her, need to see that science can open doors.
“To be recognised at this level, so soon after leaving teaching, is surreal,” she says. “I launched The Science Booth because I believed there was a better way to teach science and now I know that belief was right. I’m not just earning more than I ever did as a teacher… I’m building something that’s changing lives.”
Armed with a degree in Biochemistry and Science Communication, Carrie Ann taught for 18 years across Manchester, Lancashire, and Cumbria before leaving the profession in October 2023. Within six months, she celebrated her first £10k month as a business owner delivering explosive science shows, school workshops, and parties through her company.
She’s also the founder of The STEAM Educators’ Staff Room, a growing national community supporting other educators to start and grow their STEAM education businesses. Her annual conference, Full STEAM Ahead, brings together content creators, tutors, YouTubers, and education entrepreneurs for a day of connection and visibility.
Carrie Ann has previously been recognised by the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award and global tech company Globant for her work in education. Her dream is to reach one million children through a network of 100 Science Booth franchisees nationwide.
“I want every child in the UK to have the chance to love science,” she says. “If you’d told 11-year-old me sat in a cold, damp council house that one day I’d be building a national science brand, I wouldn’t have believed you. Pinch me!”
