A client of ours is a leading supplier of soft play products. Things like multi-piece brick kits that help kids to stack, count, throw, lift, construct and build. Or themed soft play balls, on the largish size at 700mm diameter. Or ball pool balls. Do you know you need at least 2,000 balls to fill the average ball pool?

All these products have two things in common. They’re very light, but very bulky. They don’t provide much of a problem for the transport manager though, apart from the fact that they need to be delivered to various parts of the UK, usually very quickly and reliably. So at The Soft Brick Company in Warrington, they realized the time had come to make another investment. And a gleaming new Ford Transit duly arrived on their doorstep, courtesy of a three-year finance deal organized by Johnson Reed. A comfortable new vehicle worth £14,125 in which their delivery drivers can now whizz around the country, to the salvation of children everywhere.

Of course, they do produce other items of soft play equipment – everything from wobbly characters to wall and floor padding and rope and netting – all you might need to build an adventure play area for children.

And, in a very grown-up way, they came to Johnson Reed and asked for finance for the van. We said ‘Yes’ and turned the whole thing round more speedily than a bank would have done. We didn’t need too much information and we kept the paperwork to a minimum. Soft Brick know they have some tried and trusted advisors with Johnson Reed. And we definitely have a soft spot for them.