Firefly London
Nurturing your Light
Project Firefly is the realisation of a long-held vision where we bring together all that we love and care for.
We are committed to creating a world that protects development and learning for everybody.
From birth through to adulthood.
We're glad you're here to be a part of our story.
Who are we...
Ellie Barton
Founder and Therapist
Ellie Barton
Founder and Therapist
Ellie Barton is a highly experienced Neuro-Developmental Therapist with a holistic approach to supporting children and families. With a career spanning nearly 20 years, Ellie began her journey in paediatrics in 2008, working at NHS Medway in a pioneering paediatric team that championed interdisciplinary collaboration. She spent more than a decade in the NHS and has worked since 2010 in the private sector (initially alongside her NHS work then solely as an independent practitioner).
Ellie’s approach is deeply informed by her work and teaching experience with Jean Pierre Maes at MAES Therapy, focusing on long-term developmental and coordination outcomes. She is also trained in Bobath therapy, Ayres Sensory Integration, and VERVE Child Interaction Therapy, which supports self-regulation and learning. Additionally, Ellie is an accredited Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) practitioner, a tool she values both personally and professionally.
Alongside her professional commitments, Ellie home-educates her children with her husband. Together, they balance the education of their secondary school-aged sons and their preschool-aged daughter.
Ellie plays an active role in the professional community, serving on the London committee for the Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists, organizing learning opportunities, and attending conferences. She also guest lectures at the University of East London and volunteers weekly as a Woodcraft Pioneer Leader for children aged 10-12.
Ellie’s dedication to lifelong learning and her passion for helping others make her a trusted and inspiring therapist, educator, and advocate for children’s development and learning.
Zorana Klaric
Co-founder and Therapist
Zorana was drawn to work with children and young adults as soon as she finished University in 2003, where she studied to become a physiotherapist. She found that being in the presence of children, connecting with them, meeting them on their path of potential and helping them learn, transform and thrive is her calling.
The children Zorana works with have neurodevelopmental, coordination and/or interaction challenges.
Over the years she’s taken training in Bobath therapy, but has been most strongly influenced by working with and learning from Jean-Pierre Maes, using MAES therapy principles and philosophy in her work today.
Parallel to growing the experience as a physiotherapist and working with the body and mind, Zorana felt guided to know more about what life is like “beyond the surface” and trained in Reiki in 2021. Reiki helped her find stillness in herself, deepen the intuition and understand better the connection between the physical and non-physical and develop even more meaningful relationship with the children she works with.
Zorana lives in Wanstead with her husband and two young children.
Jessi Parrott
Website Editor and Community Facilitator
Jessi is passionate about celebrating and supporting other disabled and neurodivergent young people and their families and communities. They have Cerebral Palsy (CP) because of a brain injury after a premature birth, so they use a powered wheelchair, and they are also autistic. All of these parts of their lived experience mean they love the ethos and atmosphere of Project Firefly. They are honoured to be able to use their skills, as a freelance researcher and consultant (specialising in disability and accessibility), and a writer and editor, to work on the website and help make it a supportive, informative and joyful space that matches the in-person venues for therapy sessions.
Jessi is also a performer and creative for theatre and TV. Because of these parts of their work, they fundamentally believe in the transformative power of storytelling, as well as that everyone deserves to be represented and to channel our own individual forms of expressing our identities - and to be supported to access and develop the skills needed to thrive whilst doing so. Consequently, Jessi is thrilled to be taking on a new role in the near future, leading creative workshops in drama, writing and languages to complement the therapy elements offered by the rest of the wonderful Project Firefly team.
Jessi lives in North London with their truly brilliant mum. They are also grateful for their fabulous team of personal assistants.
Mary Kenealy
EFT Practioner