THE CLOCK ON THE WALL

Mary finds out more about one of the numerous very successful companies in our area that many people have never heard of, Ravencourt Living

IT ALWAYS FASCINATES and surprises me the number of extremely successful businesses there are in our area that are completely under the radar, with very few people knowing anything about them. Many of them are leading lights in their particular fields, selling worldwide and some, one of the most successful in the world.

One of these businesses is Ravencourt which is based just outside Stamford. Established in 1984 by the Story family, managing director Oli Story is the third generation of his family to run it.

Very few people will have heard of Ravencourt but many, many of us will have used their products. They started in 1984 by importing science equipment for school science labs. And then clocks for classrooms. These clocks were large and clear and easy to read so perfect for a classroom wall. It quickly became apparent that these large clocks would be very useful for those with impaired sight and for those with dementia so a second branch of the company was established, Ravencourt Living.

The company quickly became a business of two halves, albeit run under the same umbrella. The school clock side of the business along with science equipment including voltmeters, PH meters and the like is now one of the largest suppliers of science equipment to schools. They don’t sell direct but through wholesalers so realistically why would we have ever heard of them unless you were purchasing science equipment, quite niche?

The other side of the business is continually expanding (well both are) and those clocks are still selling well. Ravencourt Living supplies products for the elderly and those living with Alzheimer’s with the aim of helping people maintain their independent living for as long as possible and to stay in their own homes. Products include reminder clocks, pill dispensers, one button radios and numerous others which help people with mobility, hearing loss, visual impairment, dementia and much more. Ravencourt is now one of the largest suppliers of products worldwide; yet again, very few of us have heard of them.

But that is now beginning to change. Most of their products are sold to core retailers such as councils, care homes and wholesalers but they are beginning to be more visible in high street retailers such as Boots and Argos. And consumers appreciate the customer service that is o ered. Boxes are clearly labelled with contact details and anyone can ring Ravencourt direct to get advice about how to use the products, or indeed general advice about daily living aids which can help people cope with Alzheimer’s and keep you at home for longer. The sta are very experienced with one expert writing blogs and reviewing products and they pride themselves on their customer service.

The company works in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society who vet a lot of their products then recommend them. Ravencourt gets valuable information from them too so the partnership works really well with the company able to develop di erent products after taking advice from the society.

'Very few people will have heard of Ravencourt but many, many of us will have used their products. They started in 1984 by importing science equipment for school science labs. And then clocks for classrooms.'

Many of us are, thankfully, unaware such products exist and have never had to use them or source them. But, despite not having a need for them, it is beneficial that we all know they exist as sadly who knows when they will be needed. And Ravencourt are stepping up to the plate, becoming more visible rather than working behind the scenes as they historically were.

As well as having more of a presence on the high street they have recently set up an online shop, Story and Sons, which sells dementia aids directly to the public. If you have a look at the website you will find products that o er substantial aids to living, usually in the most practical way and most are oh so simple but make a huge di erence to someone’s life. Again, lots of advice is available, including a blog.

So where do all these products come from? You’ve guessed it, China, as sadly manufacturing of products like this in the UK just doesn’t appear to be financially viable anymore. But, on the plus side, because the company has such strong links to China it was able to source PPE at the beginning of the pandemic and was one of the first to receive a shipload.

They had to think on their feet as it quickly became apparent that half of their core business, school equipment, had dried up completely with schools being closed so obviously there was no demand for clocks or voltmeters. And the other half, daily living aids was ticking over but scaled back as well. Oli quickly realised that PPE was going to be needed (and they needed to survive) so with his Chinese contacts he was able to source e ective, approved PPE which they could supply to the NHS, care homes and other care providers. As he was ahead of the game they were one of the first to receive a shipment so were quickly able to start supplying those who were crying out for it.

As they have some of the shipment left the company is now o ering face masks, hand sanitisers and other E e uipment free of charge to local hospices, charities and care homes. ‘Supporting the local community is really important to us,’ says the company’s Ed Thurston. Organisations are still struggling to source e ective E and we have plenty to spare so are happy to donate some of it to help out.’