Blue Badge Co.

Blue Badge Co. began in Bristol in 2011 with a specific problem to solve: a friend of founder Ellen Green wanted a more practical, better-looking way to display her British disabled parking permit. The first holders were stitched by hand. The idea that an everyday object could be useful and thoughtfully designed grew into a specialist brand.

Growth came quickly. The company sold 8,000 permit holders in its first two years; in 2013, a Boots buyer placed an order for 10,000 units, taking the project from a Bristol bedroom to a larger commercial operation. In 2015, Green was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the Bristol and Bath Women in Business Awards and received another award from Insider South West.

The story continued to expand: in 2017, the company exhibited at Germany’s Rehacare trade show, marking its first international sales, and in 2018 Ellen Green presented the brand on QVC’s shopping channel. These steps brought a small accessory collection to wider audiences without moving it away from the problem that started the business: making mobility-related items more practical and personal.

The Blue Badge wallet remains the product that explains the store’s beginnings. It is designed to hold and display the UK’s disabled parking permit, and the website brings together different patterns, colors, and materials. The brand organizes this part of its catalog around everyday mobility, with accessories for carrying permits and personal items without treating accessibility as a one-style-fits-all product.

RADAR keys are another defining line. They are used to unlock accessible restrooms fitted with that locking system. The store offers individual keys and multipacks, along with Just Can’t Wait cards. These products do not replace a parking permit or guarantee access to every facility; they serve different purposes in a catalog aimed at making day-to-day outings easier to manage.

The range also extends to car accessories and mobility aids. Products featured by the store include a HandiCar support handle to help with getting in and out of a vehicle, swivel seats, driving aids, home-comfort items, glasses cases, and everyday accessories. The site’s guides also cover mobility options such as walking sticks and reachers.

The way the company makes and sells its products has also changed. After working with wholesale retailers, it focused on direct sales through its website in 2021; following a restructuring in 2023, it moved manufacturing to partner teams in northern England and Wales. In 2025, it introduced a brand refresh and products made with material from recycled bottles.

Today, Blue Badge Co. operates primarily as an online store and source of practical information. Its pages cover Blue Badge applications and renewals, permit criteria, benefits, travel tips, and choosing mobility aids; these are informational guides rather than individual professional advice. The contact page lists a Gloucester address and directs customer inquiries to email and social media.