A baby sign language class has won a London-wide award for going 'above and beyond to entertain, educate and inspire children'.

TinyTalk Hampton, Walton and Teddington was voted the winner of the 2018 Hoop Awards’ Best Baby Class in London.

Gabrielle Allen runs the classes which teach babies and toddlers from birth to communicate based on the British Sign Language (BSL) system.

She first learned about the benefits of baby signing after attending classes with her first son, now four years old.

Gabrielle said: "I started signing with Joshua when he was four months. By six months he did his first signs 'mummy' and 'drink' (…no he wasn’t trying to tell my husband something!).

"By his first birthday he received his 25 plus sign certificate and I can honestly say that he never had a tantrum because I did not know what he wanted - maybe only if I would say no to 'More' and 'Chocolate'!

"He was such a happy boy when I was able to interact with him because I know that he was excited about the bird in the tree or butterflies.

"It gave me a unique insight into his mind, what made him so happy or what he found funny.

"When my second son Ethan was born I started signing with him from day one.

"His brother helps me teach him and it brings them closer together as Joshua wants to get involved.

"Ethan is now ten months old and attends classes with me and can already tell me when he needs his nappy changing or if he is hungry or thirsty."?Three years on from setting up her own baby signing class, Gabrielle has now helped hundreds of local families with their first adventures with their children, and looks forward to helping many more learn to communicate with their babies and toddlers. ?One mum said: "It’s the highlight of our week! We have both learnt so much. It's so exciting watching my daughter communicate what she wants and be able to understand and encourage her. Gabrielle is always enthusiastic and full of fun!"?