Sawdust and Rainbows’ latest product, Scaffer, took home a bronze award in the Best Creative Play category.

Sawdust and Rainbows‘ managing director, Rosie Hughes, said: “We are delighted with this award. I have poured my heart and soul into designing and safety testing Scaffer, and to receive recognition by the Junior Design Awards is amazing. “

Sawdust and Rainbows’ unique system of interlocking boards proved a favourite with the judges, picking up a bronze award in the category of Best Creative Play.

A spokesperson for the Junior Design Awards said: “These innovative interlocking boards, which give kids the ability to build endless impressive structures safely and independently, really excited our panel. The grand scale of the projects it enables, and the STEAM qualities of the product, were seen as major ticks for parents of mini architects who want something on a different scale from building bricks. Sergei Urban of TheDadLab gave Scaffer a firm 10 out of 10 and many of our other judges were intrigued by the possibilities that these kits present. That Sawdust and Rainbows plant a tree for every set of boards sold also impressed the panel greatly.”

Sawdust and Rainbows is the brainchild of Rosie Hughes, who struck upon the idea for the Northern Irish start-up in 2017. Making use of her Engineering and Manufacturing qualification, Hughes makes wooden activity toys inspired by her son, Reuben.

“My vision for Scaffer was to develop a super-simple building system that requires no tools or fixings for safe and easy building,” said Rosie. “A STEAM toy – science, technology, engineering, art and maths – Scaffer helps children to develop their hands-on exploration, problem solving, mathematical, deep thinking and teamwork skills while encouraging their imagination to run wild. Creating the Scaffer has been a labour of love, as I take safety testing extremely seriously. Scaffer is the only wooden building panels on the market that are fully safety tested and require no fixings, meaning children are able to build all by themselves.”

Rosie continued: “The whole team has worked so hard and has really pulled through during the challenging times recently. Everyone at Sawdust and Rainbows is ecstatic to have had such a fantastic result. I could not have done it without the talent and dedication of my small team. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for making it happen.”

To find out more about Scaffer and the rest of the range, visit www.sawdustandrainbows.com.