A MOTHER-OF-THREE has received a four-figure grant towards her baby carrying venture.
Romaldkirk’s Sarah Wall has received £1,005 from the North East Business Support Fund (NEBSF) to develop Sling Baby, which helps parents choose a suitable baby carrier for their child.
The 39-year-old started the business last summer as an aside from Chocolate Fayre, in Barnard Castle, which she runs with her husband, Kenny Walker.
Ms Wall said she’d reaped the benefits of using a baby sling device for her young children, and after carrying her third child, Robyn, she decided to go one step further and follow her parental passion.
“It was a lovely thing to do but it was also practical thing as well,” she added.
[tweet=925324420738101248]
“I thought about how I could spread that message and make them more accessible to give people the opportunity to find out information.”
Baby carrying devices are designed to free up the wearer’s arms for other tasks while offering toddlers the chance to hold onto a parent’s hand.
Ms Wall sells a range of baby slings from a wide variety of manufacturers – passing on advice and information about the devices.
She said the match-funding grant will allow her to develop her new website and get more exposure in Teesdale and beyond.
“It’s for setting up a website with e-commerce as well as an information base,” said Ms Wall.
“There will also be a blog on there and a host of interactive material including video demonstrations.”
Ms Wall believes there are “huge benefits” to carrying babies with statistics indicating that carried babies cry less when held.
She added: “It’s something we don’t do enough in western culture – we only carry our babies 25 per cent of the time.
“I always talk about the benefits it has to a baby and mother’s health all the time you carry them.
“It’s also super practical when you need to go shopping or look after older children.”
Ms Wall has lived in Romaldkirk all her life and her family has lived in the village for more than 100 years.
She said she’d received a good reception from dale mothers since Sling Baby’s launch and hoped her knowledge could help others.
She added: “For me there’s a bit of a gap in the market – there are lots of different types of carrier and it can be a bit of a minefield.
“I consult and give advice face to face as well as online.
“People can try before they buy and I have about 20 different types of carrier.”
The NEBSF offers up to 35 per cent matched funding for business projects between £3,000 and £8,000.
Jonathan Barnes, business advisor for the fund, which administers the fund, said the grant scheme is still open to applications and available to firms throughout County Durham.
He added: “It is fantastic for us to be able to help a business like Sarah’s where she has made such promising start and is now looking to drive the business forward.”
To find out more about Ms Wall’s venture, follow @SlingBabyUK on Facebook.
