David Edmund Talbot Garman OBE (9 May 1922 – 4 January 2019) was a British inventor and businessman who was based in mid-Wales.[1][2][3]

David Edmund Talbot Garman OBE
Born(1922-05-09)9 May 1922
Died4 January 2019(2019-01-04) (aged 96)
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)British inventor, businessman and philanthropist
Children4
AwardsHTV Design Award
BHTA (British Healthcare Trades Association) Lifetime Service Award
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Inducted into the Ambulance Service Hall of Fame

Early life and career

edit

He was born in Thakeham in West Sussex, England, in May 1922.[4]

Garman invented the first portable powered bath lift in 1981 —a lift to assist people with mobility problems getting in and out of the bath.[5]

He was the founder and chairman of Mangar International Limited, Mangar International (Holdings) Limited and Mangar 2013 Limited.[6][7] Mangar International Ltd now sells bathlifts and other lifting devices to hospitals and care homes across the world, as well as to private and commercial buyers.[8] Mangar is an anagram of Garman.[8]

Garman's inventions consisted of patient lifting and handling equipment now used internationally in private dwellings, day centres, hospitals and care homes, as well as by ambulance services. He invented, designed and manufactured these products through Mangar International Limited which he founded with his wife, Francesca, in 1981. They ran Mangar International Limited, based in Presteigne in Powys, mid-Wales, until he was well into his 90s. It was then sold in January 2014. However, even in his very late 'retirement' he continued inventing right up until his final months. The resulting product development is being carried out through David E. T. Garman Concepts Ltd, which was founded by Garman's family in September 2013.

David E. T. Garman Concepts Limited was named after him and was founded in September 2013.[9][10] Garman's last invention was the "Air Cradle" patient transfer system, which he co-invented with Austin Owens with whom David E. T. Garman Concepts Limited continues to collaborate.[11][12][13][14] The "Air Cradle" patient transfer system is an alternative to hoists and slings used in patient transfer.[15][16][17][18][19][20] On 7 May 2019, the AIR CRADLE® Patient Transfer System was short-listed in The Blackwood Design Awards 2019 'BEST NEW CONCEPT' category.[21] On 15 May 2019, the AIR CRADLE® Patient Transfer System was a finalist in The Blackwood Design Awards 2019 'BEST NEW CONCEPT' category.[22][23][24][25][26] On 18 February 2020, the AIR CRADLE® Transfer System was short-listed for 'Innovation of the Year' in The National Technology Awards 2020.[27]

He was also the Chairman of M.F.C. International Limited.[7][28][29][30] Prior to acquiring M.F.C. International Ltd (then known as M.F.C. Survival Ltd), Mangar International Ltd had had a working relationship with MFC for over 20 years.[31]

He was a Director of The Radnorshire Wildlife Trust Limited.[32][33]

Death

edit

Garman died in mid-Wales on 4 January 2019.[34][35][36][8] The BBC broadcast a Radio 4 obituary about Garman on 15 and 17 February 2019.[37]

Affordable housing in Lyme Regis

edit

With the support of his nephew, Bernie Kevill (a son of his late sister Elizabeth), Garman was instrumental in the development of affordable housing in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England. He sold very cheaply part of his land on the outskirts of Lyme Regis to Lyme Regis Community Land Trust to build 15 affordable homes. The development sits on Timber Hill and is named Garman's Field because of this.[35][38]

Woodlands

edit

Garman invested heavily in the preservation of flora and fauna in Wales, where he planted one of the largest broad-leaved woodlands of more than 10,000 trees near Llandrindod Wells.[39][34]

Awards and honours

edit

In 1981, aged 59, Garman won the HTV Design Award for his first invention, the world's first portable powered bath lift. This award resulted in some publicity but very little financial assistance.

In 2007, aged 85, Garman was awarded the BHTA (British Healthcare Trades Association) Lifetime Service Award for his contribution and dedication to the rehabilitation industry.[40]

Garman was also, aged 92, made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for "services to the healthcare industry" by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2015 New Year Honours.[3][41][42]

In May 2019, some four months after Garman's death at the age of 96, the AIR CRADLE® Patient Transfer System, co-invented by Garman and Austin Owens, was a finalist in The Blackwood Design Awards 2019 - 'BEST NEW CONCEPT' category.[43]

On 22 October 2019, Garman was inducted into the Ambulance Service Hall of Fame for his individual contribution to the safety and well-being of patients.[44][45]

On 18 February 2020, the AIR CRADLE® Transfer System was short-listed for 'Innovation of the Year' in The National Technology Awards 2020.[46]

On 6 January 2021, the AIR CRADLE® Transfer System was nominated for 'Best Medical Device Solution' in the MedTech Breakthrough Awards 2021.

References

edit
  1. ^ "OBE for inventor of the bathlift". Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  2. ^ "Patents by Inventor David Edmund Talbot Garman – Justia Patents Search". Patents.justia.com.
  3. ^ a b Goddard, Ben (2015). "- Lady of Glanusk honoured". newsnorthwales.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Inventor's latest 'revolutionary' product patented". www.wscountytimes.co.uk. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  5. ^ "The History Behind Mangar Health". Mangar Global. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  6. ^ "David Garman Receives OBE – Mangar | Mangar - - single.php". Mangar. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  7. ^ a b "David Edmund Garman Companies House". Mangar.
  8. ^ a b c Obituaries, Telegraph (28 January 2019). "David Garman, businessman whose invention of the portable bathlift improved the lives of millions – obituary". The Telegraph.
  9. ^ Garman, David. "David Edmund Talbot Garman Companies House".
  10. ^ Garman, David. "David E. T. Garman Concepts Ltd".
  11. ^ Garman, David (20 December 2016). "94-year-old-british-obe-global-healthcare-sector-inventor-gets-further-patent".
  12. ^ "David Edmund Talbot Garman OBE – TradePoint Magazine – Disability Trade".
  13. ^ "TalkBack, spring – 2017 (BackCare)". Issuu. 9 May 2017.
  14. ^ "Mobility Assistance". GroveDesign.
  15. ^ "'An Alternative Solution' – AT Today Magazine, page 9, 16 January 2020".
  16. ^ "The AIR CRADLE®".
  17. ^ "Medical Lifting Slings Market – Size, Share, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2019 – 2027".
  18. ^ "Innovative patient transfer system looks to disrupt the market after being a finalist in prestigious design awards".
  19. ^ "Un système innovant de transfert de patients cherche à perturber le marché après avoir été finali..."
  20. ^ "Global Patient Handling Equipment Market predicted to be worth £20.21billion by 2025". 14 February 2019.
  21. ^ "The Blackwood Design Awards 2019 'BEST NEW CONCEPT' Shortlist Finalists".
  22. ^ "The Blackwood Design Awards 2019 'BEST NEW CONCEPT' Finalists".
  23. ^ "Innovative designs celebrated at Blackwood Design Awards". 15 May 2019.
  24. ^ "Innovative entries celebrated at Blackwood Design Awards". 14 May 2019.
  25. ^ "Innovative patient transfer system looks to disrupt the market after being a finalist in prestigious design awards". 12 June 2019.
  26. ^ "Innovative patient transfer system makes moving & handling more dignified, safer and less stressful for patients". 13 June 2019.
  27. ^ "National Technology Awards Shortlist 2020". 18 February 2020.
  28. ^ "New year honours 2015: the full list | UK news | The Guardian". theguardian.com. 2015.
  29. ^ Garman, David (30 December 2014). "New Year Honours 2015: A leading force in devolution, a champion of the miniskirt and a top Army medic feature among Welsh names with a gong".
  30. ^ Garman, David. "David Edmund Talbot Garman Companies House".
  31. ^ "M.F.C. International Ltd". Issuu. 9 September 2013.
  32. ^ Garman, David. "David Edmund Talbot Garman Companies House". Companies House.
  33. ^ THE RADNORSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST LIMITED
  34. ^ a b Barnett, Calvin (7 January 2019). "Award-winning industry innovator and pioneer passes away".
  35. ^ a b "Tributes to man who 'contributed to much' to affordable housing". Dorset Echo. 20 January 2019.
  36. ^ Briggs, David (10 January 2019). "Tributes to Mid Wales inventor who catered for elderly". www.shropshirestar.com.
  37. ^ "David Garman OBE -obituary". Last Word, BBC Radio 4.
  38. ^ "Lyme Regis 'indebted' to affordable homes pioneer, who dies aged 96". 18 January 2019.
  39. ^ "David Garman, The Times".
  40. ^ BHTA Bulletin (41): 15. February 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20170315085954/http://www.bhta.net/sites/default/files/document-upload/BHTA%20Bulletin%20Feb%20LOW%20RES.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2017. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  41. ^ "New Year's Honours 2015: CSV". GOV.UK. 8 January 2015. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  42. ^ "New Years Honours 2015: The Welsh List". Archived from the original on 14 December 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  43. ^ "The Blackwood Design Awards 2019 'BEST NEW CONCEPT' Finalists".
  44. ^ "Inventor Inducted into The Ambulance Service Hall of Fame".
  45. ^ "Late industry pioneer and founder of Mangar inducted into The Ambulance Service Hall of Fame". 28 October 2019.
  46. ^ "National Technology Awards Shortlist 2020". 18 February 2020.