In the second of a series of articles on the Big Venture Challenge Winners, today we introduce Annabel McMahon, founder of Rackety's Ltd.
Big Venture Challenge is a national programme, run by UnLtd and supported by the Big Lottery Fund, to find 25 of the most ambitious social entrepreneurs in England. The 25 winners all want investment so that their enterprises can deliver social impact on a significant scale. They will each receive a unique package of financial and non-financial support to help them achieve their goals. Meet winner No 2:
Annabel McMahon - Founder of Rackety's Ltd
Who is she?
Annabel set up Rackety's with her husband, Paul, in 2004, after a successful 25-year career designing clothes for many of the UK's high street stores. Having noticed the lack of choice in specialist clothing, she set about creating a brand that not only solves the dressing requirements of the disabled, but does so with high street quality and design
What does she do?
Rackety's are a branded range of high street quality adaptive clothing designed for disabled children and adults. Each piece of clothing is designed to help with specific problems, but also to blend in with the customers' regular clothing. Designing clothing to such standards helps ensure that the customers look and feel like everyone else, regardless of their disability, which increases confidence and self-esteem.
Why was Rackety's selected?
The judges and UnLtd felt that Annabel's work with Rackety's is successfully filling a gap in provision for people with disabilities which makes their life easier in a very practical way. They felt the business had significant potential to grow, to have substantial and measurable impact, and, crucially, to benefit from the support of the Big Venture Challenge programme in a number of areas.
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