Jenx has come a long way in 40 years. Back in the early 1980s, our company was founded by a paediatric physiotherapist and a product designer. We have now grown to be an internationally recognised brand with representation in 30 countries. So, how did it all happen?
In late spring of 1982, a young couple were starting out on their careers. Clive Jenkins had recently graduated from the University of Sheffield while Catherine, a physiotherapist, had begun working in Sheffield’s special schools. At this time, there were few small manufacturers of paediatric products around. None had equipment that could provide the support that very young children needed in a way that could grow with them.
Catherine looked after a three year old boy who desperately needed to stand, but none of the available standing frames met his needs. She knew she needed to sort this! One evening in the pub Catherine and Clive were chatting about work and she told him about the little boy. Half-jokingly, Clive offered to make the standing frame Catherine had dreamed up. A few weeks later, from the cellar of a terraced house in Walkley, the first Jenx standing frame was born. 
The standing frame was an instant hit with the young man and his family. Before long, other families and therapists were asking Clive and Catherine if they could make products to help their children too. Clive had already planned to start his own business, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to fulfil that dream and help create a better life and a brighter future for children with disability. This vision has stayed with Jenx for all our 40 years.
Things started happening very quickly! Catherine and Clive made sure to get feedback on their invention from therapists, parents and children. So, during the day, Clive worked by hand on making their standing frame even better. At nights, he undertook a business programme which covered everything from marketing to bookkeeping. Catherine continued her work as a physiotherapist but spent her evenings sewing. All the fabric was attached using press studs, because she didn’t yet know how to upholster directly onto the wooden boards! Jenx was started with £200 of life savings, a bank overdraft, and with parts sourced from local DIY stores, haberdasheries and even the garden shed.
They realised that the business needed a name, and after weeks of discussion settled on ‘Jenx’ from their surname ‘Jenkins’ and invested a hefty £25 in having a logo designed. Catherine was keen to incorporate an animal into the design, and between them they came up with the idea of representing the ‘x’ in Jenx with a giraffe standing tall – just like the children in their standing frames. This turned out to be £25 well spent; the affectionately named ‘George the Giraffe’ represented the company right up to his retirement in 2009.
It only took until September of 1982 for Clive to be fully established as a sole trader. He took on a small workshop under the Sheffield City Council ‘Enterprise Workshops’ scheme, which gave budding entrepreneurs a year’s subsidised rent for a unit with shared facilities and heavily subsidised rent. By October ‘Jenx’ had received its first order – not for a standing frame, but for 6 vinyl changing mats! Catherine gave it her all; she set to work creating patterns, sourcing foam and fabric and purchasing a special industrial sewing machine. The order didn’t make the couple any money, but they earnt a lot of experience. By the end of the first year, Jenx had turned over £10,000!
In 1995 Jenx became the first company to launch a comprehensive range of early intervention products for young children. These products were critical because by supporting growing children at every stage of their development, especially very early stages, they would achieve the best outcomes in later life. This principle had been key to Clive and Catherine ever since they had made the first standing frame for that little boy. Jenx’s ‘Nature First’ range was an instant hit with customers. Here, our famous ‘Monkey Standing Frame’ was born, which in many parts of the UK remains the ‘go-to’ first standing frame for young children.
In the mid-1990s a survey of therapists was conducted, revealing that 90% were looking for a night-time positioning system. So, Jenx set to work! The multi award-winning Dreama was launched in 1997. It is a complete independent night-time positioning system, and more than 20 years later it is still regarded as the most comprehensive system available worldwide. We’re proud to say that the Dreama was one of the products selected to be displayed alongside the Millennium Dome as a celebration of excellence by the British Design Council!
New premises and a new millennium led to even more new developments from Jenx. In 2001, the Alpha and Beta became the first Jenx seating systems with metal bases, soon joined by the Gamma and Zeta by the end of 2002. These were the predecessors to the Multiseat and Junior chairs that we sell today! Because of these new chairs the world of postural seating was opened to a whole new group of children, as well as adults with disabilities and those with very complex body shapes and muscular problems. Now, we were able to help more children than ever before.
We have always known that there can be fear around how best to help children with disability –there can be a reluctance to intervene in case you do more harm than good. But one of the Jenx’s core values is to always encourage ourselves and others to improve. Because of this, we are committed to empowering children, families, carers and therapists to know how to provide the best support and to be confident doing it. For many years Jenx ran an innovation award, where we gave therapists the opportunity to do what Clive and Catherine did back in 1982, helped by the support and experience that Jenx has gained over the years.
In all of this, our staff are always our biggest asset. We invest heavily in encouraging them to be the best they can. From induction to training and review, we even have an elected learning fund – available to all staff which they can access to gain any type of training or activity – from gym memberships to flower arranging and sky diving, they have tried it all!
In 2014 we launched Jiraffe – the first fully dedicated paediatric equipment provider in the UK. Creating a new division meant we could focus exclusively on providing the best service, care and attention to children in the UK. With Jiraffe we were able to do more for the children we helped. We gained our six categories of expertise: Seating, Standing, Sleeping, Therapy, Mobility and Bathroom. Through staying true to our values, Jiraffe has become a company of great integrity that children, families, therapists and purchasers across the UK know and trust.
From Clive and Catherine’s original vision, Jenx has grown into an industry-leading company. Throughout that time, we have always stayed true to our mission. Ever since that first standing frame, we have worked to ensure that every child, no matter how old or young, and no matter their individual needs, has the best possible opportunity of a functional, pain-free future. We look forward to having a positive impact on the lives of many more children and young people in the years to come!
This blog is part of our 40 stories for 40 years’ series, celebrating our partnerships over the years. Click here to read more blogs in this series.
