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Leeds mum's invention takes hassle out of household chore
A Leeds mum is dreaming of a business fortune thanks to an invention that takes the hassle out of one of Britain's least popular household chores.
Joyce Nganga-Bert, 43, was unemployed and struggling for cash last year when she hit upon her idea for a duvet cover that opens on three sides.
It was an immediate hit among her friends, who like Joyce were fed up with battling to get their duvets into traditional covers with a single opening.
They encouraged her to start selling her covers commercially – and since then hundreds have been snapped up online and at Leeds' Kirkgate Market.
Now she is in potentially-lucrative talks with a number of high street retailers interested in stocking her product.
Kenyan-born Joyce, who moved to Leeds in 2002, said: "Like all good ideas, it was borne out of frustration.
"I was battling with my duvet and, as always, all my socks and clothes had become stuck in the cover.
"After a quick online search, I realised there were loads of people complaining on forums that they struggled to put their cover on."
Joyce, who lives in Alwoodley, made her prototype by sewing buttons onto three sides of a cover created from a 15 roll of fabric.
The speed of her subsequent expansion has come about with the backing of Chapeltown business support agency Urbanbiz, which helps aspiring entrepreneurs get products onto the market.
Joyce, who has a son aged 21, said: "Most of my customers have told me it's changed their lives.
"They're amazed that something so simple hasn't been designed before."
Recalling her financial predicament prior to coming up with her now-patented idea, she added: "It was a very dark time in my life and I was so desperate to find something, anything to pay my way."
Joyce's covers are priced from 35. For more details, visit her www.qandeduvetcovers.webs.com website.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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