Dragon’s Den star heads to Derby café
Fresh from her success on BBC’s Dragon’s Den, owner of artisan woolcraft business, Wool Couture is heading to award-winning café, Oliver’s on Friar Gate, in Derby on Saturday 18 November to give an inspirational talk and a ‘giant knitting’ demonstration.
Café owner, Lisa Bridge first heard about Wool Couture when founder, Claire Gelder secured backing from two of the Dragons, Touker Suleyman and new dragon Tej Lalvani, when the show aired on 3 September 2017.
Claire won the dragons over with her mission to inspire a new generation to take up macramé, knitting, weaving and crochet using giant yarn and metre-long knitting needles, which are hand-made in her Yorkshire factory.
While watching the show, Lisa was blown away by Claire’s entrepreneurial spirit and her unique take on an old pastime, so she contacted her to see if she would visit Oliver’s to host an evening of knitting and Christmas decoration making.
Lisa Bridge, owner of Oliver’s, said: “We’re really excited to welcome Claire to Oliver’s. We’ve got a lot of exciting events planned on the run up to Christmas and this is a great way for people in Derby to find out a bit more about how Claire launched her company, and also have some fun making decorations and having some food and drinks with us.
“I first heard about Wool Couture when I sat down to watch Dragon’s Den in September. I fell in love with the concept and the products straight away because it’s just something really different. I was also blown away by Claire’s passion and her journey from NHS director to Wool entrepreneur!”
Wool Couture founder, Claire Gelder, added: “I was so excited to hear from Lisa and am really looking forward to our event at Oliver’s. The support I’ve had since appearing on the show has been overwhelming and I feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to be invited to do things like this, so I can spread my message even further.”
Guests at the event will be greeted with canapés and drinks at Oliver’s, which recently won Café Design of the Year at the Café Life Awards, before hearing about Claire’s story and having the opportunity to use her products for themselves.
The mental health benefits of knitting are widely acknowledged – In a study published in The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 81% of respondents with depression reported feeling happy after knitting – so to help raise funds for Derbyshire Mind, Oliver’s will also be holding a raffle at the event to win prizes including, a stay for two people at Bridgford Hall courtesy of Birchover Residences, a meal for four people at Oliver’s, and a magnum of prosecco.
