Hygienic Handles wins Innovate UK Grant to further develop its “Hands-Free” door opener range
Posted by Lee Bessell on
In reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, established care products manufacturer Astor-Bannerman Ltd, based at Andoversford Business Park, Cheltenham, has set up a new division called Hygienic Handles, which designs and manufactures an innovative range of products to adapt doors & door handles in the workplace, schools, universities, public buildings and other settings to “HANDS-FREE” opening and closing.
Managing Director Mark Colebrook explains:
“We’ve been designing and manufacturing specialist care products for over 25 years from our Gloucestershire base. We designed these Hygienic Handles to allow our office to operate safely throughout the COVID crisis. They worked really well and so we are now offering them to everyone.
So we’re delighted to announce that we’ve just been selected from 1000s of applicants to receive a significant grant from Innovate UK, the Government-backed scheme that supports British companies to develop new products and technologies. It’s a major win for us and means we’ll be able to invest in rapid development of the product range and grow the Hygienic Handles business into new niches, such as Supermarkets and Forecourts.
Colebrook continues: “We’ve already seen huge interest from all sorts of business and organisations, large and small - especially in the education, local government, legal, construction and industrial sectors – so we’re really ramping up production to meet exponentially growing demand. We’ve also had interest from the media and Hygienic Handles will be featured in the July 2020 issue of the Facilities Management Journal.”
The Hygienic Handles range of products can be readily fitted to most types of doors (including latched) so they can be easily opened and closed by either the forearm, elbow or foot, depending on door type. This avoids direct hand contact with doors or door handles to help create a “COVID-Secure” environment.
Nick Kent, Managing Director of Kents Property Ltd states: “We’ve just installed Hygienic Handles across our serviced offices, coworking and workspace venues in, Surrey. Pleased with the products and the ease of use. Inspires confidence amongst our workforce and tenants as well as reducing the risk of transmission. A valuable tool in our basket of what we have done to allow our buildings to re-open.”
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Hygienic Handles
Easily Convert Doors to “Hands-Free” Opening. Facilities & Office Managers: Protect staff by making workplace robust to COVID-19 cross-infection: make doors “hands-free” with our easily installed products. Designed & produced in Britain and in stock, ready for despatch. Learn more at hygieinichandles.co.uk
Hygienic Handles is the new division of Astor Bannerman Ltd of Cheltenham, medical/care equipment suppliers with over 25 years’ experience & expertise. The new range of Hygienic Handles equipment enables doors to be opened and closed by arm or foot, removing the need for hand contact with the handle, to create a safer workplace and protect your people. #handsfreedoors #workplacesafety #protectingpeople #stopthevirus #stopthespread #stopcovid19