As many of you will know, Dean ‘Moose’ Ambridge, a former player, current club sponsor and one of the 1st XV volunteer administrative team was the victim of a massive fire, caused by an electrical fault, that destroyed his business premises in Ware last August.

Dean was determined not to let the business, which was one of the Towns oldest retailers, fail and immediately started looking for new premises. He found it at Stonyhills, just outside Ware, and after 6 month in which he has invested a huge amount of time, energy and financial investment, will launch the new’ Dean’s Furnishers Store’ on Saturday March 10th.

Dean explained: “I found the Stonyhills site within days of the fire and it ticked almost every box. It has an on-site warehouse, a 7,000 Sq ft showroom, potential for expansion, over 30 car park spaces, easy access for deliveries. The only box it didn’t tick is a high street location. Now we are so close to the opening I’m incredibly excited but also anxious. It has always been a dream of mine to have a lovely new shop with a blank canvas to work on, and I am very fortunate to have been given this opportunity. I’ve been very hands-on, working on the new showroom, offices and warehouse, on the displays, signage, everything really. It's taken a lot of work and investment to create this new venture, and now I only hope that customers, new and old, will like the results as much as we do.

"It's the only place I have ever worked in. Since the fire, I’ve managed to cope with running the business from home, and using my garage and some space in a friend’s warehouse as storage, but it’s been tough. I kept on my four full-time employees, and luckily we have some regular contract sales from some large and loyal clients, but it hasn’t really been sustainable as it is. It has not been easy since the fire, but I am wise enough to recognise how fortunate we were to not have anyone in the building.”

He added “The new single storey showroom is next door to Silkwood Kitchens and the two companies have a connecting doorway so customers can seamlessly walk from one shop to the other.”

Dean has been a fantastic supporter of the Rugby Club, in every sense of the word, for over 40 years and it would be great to see that support and friendship reciprocated.

Dean’s Furnishers opens at Stony Hills, Ware SG12 0HJ on Saturday, March 10th at 9am Phone: 01920 468887. https://beds2go.co.uk/