Silver Cross Buggy Sail

The story of how Silver Cross teamed up with an ‘ordinary’ mum to create the BuggySail.

The BuggySail is an ingeniously simple and practical invention that protects babies from the sun and wind while they are in their pushchair and it was dreamt up by Karen George, who describes herself as ‘an ordinary mum’.  Having teamed up with Silver Cross, theworld-renowned pram and nursery company, Karen’s BuggySail is now set to become a godsend for parents everywhere.

Karen designed her first prototype of the BuggySail out of necessity. ‘Maybe it’s just me, but the parasol I had always seemed to get in the way. The minute I turned a corner, my daughter would be in the sun again and then when I tried to alter its position it fell off,’ explains Karen, ‘so I decided to have a go at creating an alternative. I wanted something light, effective, easy to fix on my buggy and which I could shove in the washing machine.’

Nearly three years later, the BuggySail is ready to roll.  Made from lightweight material with an ultraviolet protection factor of 50+, the BuggySail fits on to virtually any buggy in seconds and offers maximum side protection from both the sun and wind. It takes up no extra room when it is on a pushchair and packs away easily into its own small bag, making it ideal for summer holidays. It is available in Jet Sport black and grey.

Karen only got serious about putting her invention into production after people kept stopping her in the street to ask where her prototype came from.  ‘I came up with the name ‘BuggySail’ partly because its shape reminded me of a sail and partly because I wanted people to realise that it would protect their children from the wind as well as the sun right the way through the year.’

Karen’s grandmother had left her a few thousand pounds and she was determined not to fritter it away. ‘The Dragon’s Den has a lot to answer for!’ says Karen. ‘I went on a course called, ‘Women into Enterprise’, which was great, and I also got advice from a lawyer specialising in intellectual property to make sure my design was properly protected.’

However, Karen soon realised that to launch the BuggySail on a national, or even international, scale single-handedly was going to be nigh on impossible.  So in 2007 Karen contacted Silver Cross.

‘I was really worried about someone stealing my idea but I knew that Silver Cross had a reputation for being innovative and, as an old English family business, they also felt trustworthy. They almost immediately agreed to license the BuggySail – it was so exciting.

Phil Taylor and his design team at Silver Cross worked really closely with me in order to get the BuggySail ready for production and now it will soon be on sale at Mothercare, John Lewis and Babies ‘R’ Us and all good independent nursery stores as well as on www.silvercross.co.uk.’

‘I have no idea how well the BuggySail will do,’ says Karen, ‘but I honestly think everyone with a baby or toddler should have one.  We’ll just have to wait and see…’