Somerset Entrepreneurs Enter the Dragons Den
The South West’s entrepreneurial spirit is on show this week as two of the region’s businesswomen face the fiery panel in the next episode of BBC2’s Dragons Den. Pitching an ingenious baby bath towel to the scrutiny of the millionaire panel are Polly Marsh and Helen Wooldridge of Cuddledry Ltd., based in Somerset.
Long term friends, marketing professionals and working mums, the duo came up with the Cuddledry® baby bath towel and first launched it last October. It was quickly snapped up as a great idea by baby shops UK-wide, the National Childbirth Trust and Mothercare, fast becoming a bestseller – but will the Dragons view it as worthy of their investment?
Polly and Helen were filmed back in July following a rigorous selection process involving xxxx fellow entrepreneurs. Having been initially approached by Dragons Den after being noticed at the trade show where they launched Cuddledry®, the duo had to submit a written application, then pass a telephone interview, plus an audition at the BBC studios in Manchester, before the final test – walking up ‘those’ stairs to meet the dragons.
Preparation to face the panel - now including new dragon James Caan - included practice pitches to friends, neighbours, Helen’s former boss (who does a scarily realistic Duncan Bannatyne impression), and a plumber and electrician working at their Somerset offices at the time.
The Organic Cuddledry® bath towel enables parents and carers to effectively wear the towel like an apron, leaving both hands free for safely lifting their babies out of the bath and drying them. It comes with single-handed easy-release poppers that allow simple removal before lying baby down on a changing mat, still snugly wrapped.
It was developed when Polly and Helen, through their own experience and after market research, recognised that bathtime can be a struggle when you have a slippery, wet newborn and not enough hands. They decided to try and solve the problem and now the Cuddledry® towel is used by thousands of parents, including celebrities, and promoted by midwives. It has won national awards for being both dad and mum-friendly, and most importantly, has revolutionised bathtime for a host of anxious parents.
‘Its smart design changes bathtime from a sopping wet juggling act to a snuggly bonding time, with its clever apron-style design and cosy double-layered organic fabric,’ explains Polly Marsh, one of Cuddledry’s creators, ‘We put its success down to the fact that it is a simple, practical product, which answers a problem every parent genuinely faces.’
‘You only have to mention parents struggling to hold a towel under their chin and anyone who has ever bathed a baby starts nodding!’, she continues, ‘This product answers that problem - and adds gorgeously soft fabric and a unique two-layered design - to make it not just a solution but a truly valued item to own.’
The Cuddledry® towel retails at £24.99 and comes in a two-tone soft oatmeal and cream colour, natural white, and soft pink or blue.