Bangor Rugby Football Club (BRFC) is very fortunate to enjoy the support of many local businesses, both in terms of financial and practical assistance. Although there are advertising boards around our main playing pitch and scrolling logos on our club website, quite often folk don’t fully appreciate what it is that our sponsors offer and how they’ve become associated with our club. With this in mind, we will be running occasional features on our sponsors to both show our thanks for their support and encourage our members and friends to check out the products and services they offer. In some cases, you may even benefit from an extra discount if you show your current membership card!

Our first profile is on Stairlift Solutions, a relatively new sponsor to the club. Although their company name gives a pretty good clue as to their particular line of business, they offer much more than just stairlifts. As they listened to what their 2000+ customers suggested, the company responded by adding equipment such as scooters, rollators and wheelchairs to their list of mobility products. However, along with these mobility aids, they have also started offering bathroom and toilet equipment to enhance independent living for an increasingly aging population.

Not only can their products be viewed at their Bangor premises, in many cases they can be tested as well. Stairlift Solutions showroom in Innotec Drive (beside the Signal Centre, off the Balloo Road), is fortunate in being in a small cul de sac with little passing traffic other than the customers themselves. This provides a perfectly safe and realistic environment to test scooters and walking aids, while many of their stairlifts (both straight and curved) are on display inside.

Now operating across all of Northern Ireland and the bordering counties of the Republic of Ireland, Stairlift Solutions was started by Ken Wallace from his garage at home in Donaghadee in 2000. Now based in their new Bangor showroom, Ken’s son Michael is keen to build on his father’s vision and has already picked up many recent accolades including the Federation of Small Business (FSB) award for Best Small Business in Northern Ireland.

Despite the company’s success and growth across the country, Michael believes strongly in supporting the local community. With an interest in rugby going back many years, and now being located just a short distance away from Upritchard Park, it made perfect sense to develop a relationship with BRFC. Although we hope that none of our current players will be in need of any mobility devices right now, the Club has plenty of older members and friends who carry the aches and pains picked up from many years of competitive sport. If you think you might benefit from one or more mobility options, Michael and his team are always on hand and happy to lend a sympathetic and understanding ear.