The unusual
design provides relief from complaints such as arterial disease, ulcerated
toes, arthritis, diabetes, bunions and swelling. Rachel believes that what
sets her Molly Pollys apart from rival designs is the reinforced dome toe:
not only does it protect the front and top of the foot, but it gives
sensitive toes the freedom to move without rubbing.
Rachel knows
that when she describes Molly Pollys people may think she is mad, but this
28-year-old is no nutty professor. A deep love for her gran was all that was
needed to inspire her to invent the slipper. Molly Polly was Rachel's
childhood name for Mary Parker.
"Like most
children, when I was little I made up different names for my grandparents
and I just happened to call this particular gran Molly Polly," she said.
Rachel talks
with enthusiasm about her design and is obviously proud of her invention,
which she claims has features
that make them more comfortable and more hygienic than
conventional slippers.
"The back of
the slipper opens to allow access without pressure on any part of the foot,"
Rachel explained. "A Velcro strap on the instep allows infinite adjustment
for comfort and snugness. The slipper is lined throughout with fleece and
all seams are exterior, to prevent
chaffing. The slipper is washable
and the insole is removeable. If the foot condition dictates more frequent
washing, the insole can be washed in the evening and after a night on a
radiator will be ready for use the next morning."
Rachel was
just 20 when she started to manufacture her slippers and managed to get a
well-known high-street footwear specialist to sell them. But she quickly
realised that she just as well sell the slipper herself and so set out
on her own. She makes all the orders from an office in ! Kings Langley ,
Hertfordshire, where she lives, and says she owes a lot to the Prince's
Trust, which has given her a great deal of funding.
"I was
studying to be a doctor but I decided, much to my parents' disagreement,
that it wasn't a direction I wanted to continue pursuing," she said. "1
wanted to concentrate on my Molly Pollys."
Rachel's
research into diet and chiropody has enabled her to develop the slipper over
the years and because of the valuable feedback she has received from
customers and specialists
she is about to launch a
redesigned , Molly Polly Bootee that has an even ~ wider fitting.
Ultimately, Rachel would like her slippers to be made available on the NHS.
"The
specialists were very complimentary, there were a few teething problems but
I am in the process of compensating for those now," she said. "It was scary
putting hard work in the firing line. I made myself vulnerable to criticism,
but with a product such as this I had to know that it did what I set out for
it to do."
