A family business which provides first aid training to adults and children in south east London was proved to be a hit on TV show Dragon's Den, winning £50k investment from one of the Dragons.

Set up from a kitchen table in 2014, Mini First Aid's Kate and Matt Ball pitched their company on the BBC One show after growing the business in a successful franchise.

Lell Hawney, the franchise owner covering south east London, joined the company after suffering a traumatising incident where her nine-month old son suffered severe burns to his legs.

She said she was determined to turn her experience into something positive and to teach parents basic and lifesaving first aid, and hopes the company's appearance on Dragon's Den will help spread awareness about the courses offered locally.

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During the Dragons’ Den episode, the couple's four children demonstrated on each other how to perform abdominal thrusts, using the Actfast Anti Choking Vest, as taught in the Mini First Aid Kids class.

The children told the Dragons what number to call in an emergency and showed them how to put teddy in the recovery position.

The Ball family were successful in attracting a £50K investment from Sara Davies, founder of Crafter’s Companion a multinational company with a turnover of over £34 million per year. The investment is aimed at developing the retail and marketing section of the business.

News Shopper: Dragon Sara DavisDragon Sara Davis

Sara described the company's pitch as "hugely impactful" and said she was "I’m looking forward to working with her and making our plans come to life!”

“Kate and her family gave us a hugely impactful pitch in the Den and I was instantly impressed by her and Mini First Aid. I am thrilled that Kate accepted my offer."

Kate set up 'Mini First Aid' from her kitchen table in 2014 and started running first aid classes for parents and carers in the local area.

Seeing potential for growth, her and husband Matt franchised the business out across the UK, and it now teaches basic and lifesaving first aid to approximately 1,000 adults and children a week.

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This continued during the pandemic, with thousands trained online, includng in infection control to ensure businesses were Covid safe.

Kate and Matt said they were "delighted" to have been successful in the Den and to be working with Sara.

Kate said: “The whole Dragons’ Den experience has been incredible.

"Family is right at the heart of everything we do at Mini First Aid, so it felt completely right for the children to be involved.

"Bringing our youngest set of twins was just too tricky though! Sara and I have some really exciting ideas, so watch this space!”

The family featured on the latest, 18th series of the BBC's Dragon's Den on episode 12 which aired on June 24. They pitched to the latest set of dragons, Sara Davies, Theo Paphitis, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Tej Lalvani.