Sudbury gift shop owner sees surge of interest in homemade fidget gadgets for people with dementia and learning disabilities

After making a unique product to support an elderly woman with dementia, Sudbury gift shop owner Mandy Baldwin wondered if there might be a wider audience for her creations.

Despite her business, Mandy’s Jewellery and Gifts in Station Road, having to shut during the current Covid-19 lockdown, she has remained busy, after demand soared for her range of fidget gadgets, aimed at those living with dementia or learning disabilities.

Manufactured at her home using 3D printers, the small hand-held gadgets are designed to improve fine motor skills and co-ordination, as well as decrease stress and anxiety.

“When the lockdown came, it hit really hard,” Mandy told the Free Press. “It was a case of trying to come up with different ideas to keep going.

“My partner is a carer who worked with a woman in Long Melford with very severe dementia, and she was often pulling all the buttons off her clothes. I did some fidget gadgets and she absolutely adores them.

“It gives them something to fiddle with in their hands, and it just keeps their minds active, especially for people with dementia.”

Mandy explained that interest in the fidget gadgets quickly grew, requiring her to invest in two more 3D printers in order to stay on top of demand.

She also received bulk orders of her fidget toys from the Suffolk-based care company Cephas, to support its clients.

“It has helped me a whole lot, too,” added Mandy. “It’s helped keep me going while the shop is closed and it keeps me busy.

“It’s comforting for me as well, knowing that someone is benefiting from these products.”

During lockdown, Mandy’s Jewellery and Gifts has continued to trade via online deliveries, with sales of lithopane boxes proving particularly popular, especially on Mother’s Day.

It is hoped that the store itself will reopen when restrictions ease on April 12.

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