A MAJOR fundraising campaign has been started by an Alloa-based business, which is looking to launch a unique fire safety device for vulnerable people.

There are ambitions to raise as much as £250,000 to fully CE test and manufacture 2,000 Hob Angel units, which aim to reduce the risk of fires in the kitchen.

The brainchild of Tillicoultry's Cathy Gladwin and pioneered at local business Jordan Shaw, Hob Angel will work with any electric cooker in a bid to make homes safer.

The safety device has been developed over many years for older people and those with degenerative illnesses to help maintain their independence in their own home.

It is hoped that installing Hob Angel devices in homes could help ease the pressure of social care departments, local authorities and health services while families could avoid care home fees.

The Hob Angel works by controlling the power supply going into an electronic cooker.

The device has to first be turned on and a pre-determined cooking time can be set by a smartphone, usually by a carer.

Once the end of the set time is reached, an audio alarm will sound and if the person using the cooker does not respond, the device will automatically turn off the power.

The cooker can also be disabled through a smartphone application.

The £250,000 is vital to enable the ambitions project to go ahead and to donate 2,000 of the fire prevention devices with an independent panel deciding where the units will go.

In the crowndfunding campaign, local Cathy Gladwin reflected on how the idea for Hob Angel came about.

She said: “It all began because of chip pan fires.

“I was a secretary at a loss adjustment company and I was forever hearing about chip pan fires that would cause an awful lot of damage.

“I thought that there must be some way of making a hob safe.”

Cathy Jordan, business owner at Jordan Shaw, added: “The only way we can now get it into people’s homes is through this new fundraising initiative.

“Without this much needed investment, the future of the product will be in jeopardy and all the hard work put into it could be wasted.

“Right now – and quite rightly – everyone’s attention is on dealing with the coronavirus crisis we are all facing.

“But discussions have begun on how we move forward as the lockdown is eased.

“And I believe the Hob Angel has a key role to play in this, because it will enable more vulnerable people to live independently in their own homes – enabling them to use cookers safely and preventing fires.”

The device has been developed in consultation with various agencies include fire and rescue services and the Scottish Dementia Working Group.

Visit crowdfunder.co.uk/hob-angel and head to hob-angel.com for more information.