Entrepreneur from village near Leighton Buzzard is on a mission to provide dignified clothing for patients

Entrepreneur Kirsty Glynn is on a mission to provide accessible and dignified clothing for people in hospital, care homes or for those with long term health needs at home.

And to help with this ambition the Mentmore-based trained nurse has secured a place on a new social enterprise development programme from housing association Aster Group.

Kirsty was inspired to make a change after her son struggled with normal pyjamas and hospital gowns whilst undergoing treatment.

Well Cool Clothing www.wellcoolclothing.com was founded in 2010 by Kirsty to provide a new approach to hospital garments. Unlike traditional hospital gowns, Well Cool Clothing’s products are designed to make access easier for treatment and accommodate medical devices whilst promoting patient independence and dignity. They also make the job of the carer less demanding. The children’s range is now sold in Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and Kirsty is hoping to reach out to other hospitals.

The social enterprise scheme, inc., is being delivered by the Aster Foundation, a part of the housing association that invests in projects that improve lives and remove barriers to opportunity in local communities. It is also the first scheme of its kind to be created by a housing association in the UK.

Aster’s ten-month business development programme is designed to bring Kirsty’s ideas to market and connect her with potential partners and investors. With approximately 35% of their customers over the age of 65, Aster will be working with her to look at ways Well Cool Clothing can support their work around enabling independence for their older customers.

Kirsty said: “Well Cool’s vision is that everyone has access to practical and dignified healthcare clothing when needed.

“We want to reach a large population to offer clothing that both empowers and enables, when people need hospital care or care at home.”

Cam Kinsella, director of the Aster Foundation, said: “There are choppy waters ahead for the UK and, as we work our way out of what could be one of the worst economic crises in our history, the need for innovative solutions to the challenges facing society will only increase.

“Aster launched inc. to find the people dedicated to developing innovative and sustainable ways to drive change across our communities and to give them the support and mentoring they need in order to make a change.”

If you’re an entrepreneur or a start-up business dedicated to solving social issues, register your interest for Aster’s 2021/22 inc. development programme see https://www.aster.co.uk/foundation/inc.