Entrepreneur wins £100,000 deal on TV show Dragons Den with reminiscence pods for care homes

An entrepreneur, who has designed a reminiscence tool for people with dementia, has managed to win a £100,000 deal on the TV show Dragons Den.

Richard Ernest secured the deal on the TV show that aired on Sunday, giving away 45 per cent of his company to the two Dragons, Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones.

Mr Ernest who admits that going on Dragon’s Den was “one of the scariest things I have ever done” describes RemPods as pop up reminiscence rooms, which work by turning any clinical care space into a therapeutic and calming environment, stimulating memories in people with dementia. The pods range from a 1950s room to a vintage store, a dance hall and a cinema.

Reminiscence rooms are becoming increasingly popular in care homes as they have found that dementia patients often feel more safe and secure when they are remembering their past and it can trigger memories of happier times improving behaviour and wellbeing and reducing the need for anti-psychotic drugs. These reminiscence pods work in the same way but can be packed away.

Deborah Meaden says she decided to invest because Mr Ernest “came over as credible, passionate and clear and with the ‘Person’ box ticked I concentrated on questions around the product and the market. I was au fait with some great work done by the Design Council on the effect of surroundings on people with Alzheimer’s so I already understood the positive effect the RemPods could have.

“I could also see the clear routes to market and what we need to do. It wasn’t long before my fingers were going and I knew I would make an offer. In the end Richard accepted a combined offer from Peter and myself.”

Fellow Dragon Peter Jones also backed the concept because “dementia and Alzheimer's are growing problems for the UK and I'm delighted to be involved in a business that offers assistance to the patients suffering from these terrible diseases and the carers who have the responsibility of looking after them. Deborah and I were very impressed with Richard who we believe has the potential to build a successful business with a social conscience.”

Mr Ernest came up with the idea for his RemPods five years ago.

“I had moved to the village of Tetbury and I had lost my job and split up with my partner. I was feeling quite down and this elderly man, who lived nearby, called at my door. I got talking to him and began giving him lifts to the care home where his wife was.

“He became my friend and I used to wait in reception at the care home while he was visiting his wife. While I was waiting I would talk to some of the residents who had dementia and I was struck by how they were often living in the past. From that I got the idea about the reminiscence pods. It was about five years ago and the idea has grown from there.

“I started thinking about care homes that didn’t have reminiscence rooms as they don’t have the space and they can’t afford to spend lots of money so I came up with the idea of the pods. They can always be updated and we have just devised a 70s room for younger people coming into a care home.”

Mr Ernest now has his pods in about 400 care homes and 50 NHS hospitals. Leicestershire County Council which funds The Memory Lane project has invested in some of the pods. The project run by Voluntary Action South Leicestershire (VASL) and Seven Locks Housing, runs weekly sessions at residential homes in Kibworth and Market Harborough.

Maureen O'Malley, who runs the Memory Lane project claims the pods stimulate conversation, help people to remember their lives and enhance their moods.

Mr Ernest initially thought it would be a little business but has found it has just grown and grown. “At the moment business is very much through word of mouth especially with the hospitals as eight of 10 of the elderly patients on hospitals have dementia often undiagnosed so hospitals are doing their best to improve the environment for them.”

Mr Ernest took the decision to enter the TV show Dragon’s Den “as I knew I had a good product but the banks had clamped down on their lending and I knew I wanted the business to get bigger.”

The show was recorded in March and Mr Ernest admits “when I did my pitch I was almost crying I was so nervous. The Dragons were just staring at me, they don’t smile at you and make you feel welcome. Duncan Bannatyne didn’t like it at all and I thought he might as he used to own some care homes.

“I was worried as it was a big risk going on there as if I came across badly it would be very bad for the business.

“Deborah Meaden really grilled me but she liked it and she put in the first offer for the full investment of £100,000. Then Peter Jones also made an offer. Between them they wanted a bigger share of the business than I had wanted to give as I ended up giving them 45 per cent. We also plan to give a percentage of the profits to the Alzheimer’s Society which Peter Jones is really interested in.”

Mr Ernest plans to spend the money on more stock. He has also invested in bigger premises and has taken on a full time delivery man. “The Dragons' Den investment has already made a big difference and will certainly help the business grow a lot quicker. In recent months, I've gone from working on my own in a tiny cupboard of an office, to setting up a warehouse and being able to take on a team of staff.

“The transformation has been incredible. My goal is to build on the foundations that are already in place. First of all, I want to focus on increasing the presence of RemPods in care homes across the UK. I then want to export the pods and offer different themes to international markets, such as Australia, New Zealand and the United States.”

He is also currently working on some new pod ideas. “One of them is a shed where men can go as care homes often ask for pods that will good for men. I want to put specialist train sets in the sheds and mechanical things they can fix. I already have a pop up pub with games such as skittles which is quite popular.”

For more information on RemPods go to www.rempods.co.uk