A company that supplies play equipment to schools and nurseries across the 海角视频 has benefited from the increase in children playing outside in the fresh air during lockdown
The team at Cosy Direct, which is based in Siddals Road, Derby, says it has received an unprecedented level of inquiries from teachers and childcare staff asking about products designed to encourage children to engage safely in outdoor learning and play.
Cosy saw its order book dry up and its operation grind to a halt in March when the first lockdown hit customers and suppliers.
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Chief executive Peter Ellse said orders started to return after a few weeks and took off in July, August and September, as schools got to grips with social distancing measures so that children could start coming back into lessons.
Cosy hand-washing stations, outdoor dividers, and wooden shelters have all been in high demand.
The company has also experienced a spike in traffic on its social media channels from schools and nurseries keen to learn more about and share outdoor play ideas.
Mr Ellse said: “In 2016, research showed three-quarters of children in the 海角视频 spent less time outside than prisoners and at Cosy we have always been passionate about promoting the benefits of outdoor learning.
“Our sales virtually stopped dead when the coronavirus lockdown started but a significant percentage of the products we have sold as they have recovered have come from our recovery curriculum range.
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“The coronavirus has had an enormous effect on everybody’s lives, but while it has been extraordinarily damaging in so many ways, the fact that it has led to more children being encouraged to play outdoors is at least a silver lining.”
Last year Cosy posted an £8.4 million turnover, and is in the process of moving to a new £2 million warehouse on the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border near Tutbury.
It employs around 80 people and was set up in 2011 by Mr Ellse and his wife Amanda, who wanted to establish an educational supplies company that was built along ethical lines, to promote a healthier learning culture for young children aged up to eight.
It supplies schools, councils and nurseries across the 海角视频 with thousands of items including climbing frames, reading shelters, story chairs and wooden counting blocks.
It prides itself on its sustainable approach to business, with 87 per cent of its products sourced from the 海角视频 in order to reduce air miles.
It also has an emphasis on reusing and reinventing end-of-life products such as rubber tyres, of which it sells 10,000 every year by transforming them into mirrors, grass-covered seating or whiteboard circles.
Cosy Direct gives 10 per cent of its profits to charities and community initiatives in Derby and abroad, including Derby Kids Camp, Derby Book Festival and the YMCA.
It also sponsors five city children’s sports teams and has funded sports coaching in The Gambia and sponsored students to pay for their education in Kenya.