Investment by the Development Bank of Wales opens doors for Dragon Fire Doors

Conwy-based Dragon Fire Doors is scaling-up the maintenance and fitting of commercial fire doors following a £35,000 investment by the Development Bank of Wales.

Established by Director Neil Wansbrough in 2015, Dragon Fire Doors is Q-certified and specialises in providing fire door surveys along with fire door installation and maintenance services for the social housing sector. Key clients include North Wales Housing, ClwydAlyn Housing, Linc Housing and Stori Cymru.  Other clients have included NHS buildings, outdoor pursuit centres, private care homes, houses in multiple occupation (HMO) and privately-owned businesses. 

The loan of £35,000 is the second investment by the Development Bank with Dragon Fire Doors having had a fast-track micro-loan of £25,000 in 2022 to help support the company through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Neil Wansbrough said: “Changing legislation and an increased focus on fire safety means that there is increasing demand for certification on fire doors. The bulk of our work is in the social housing sector but we also fit doors for building contractors, developers and landlords. The first loan from the Development Bank enabled us to emerge from the pandemic with renewed optimism for the future of the business so we invested in additional tooling and fleet vehicles plus a new unit at the Westbourne Centre in Rhyl. This latest loan will be used to fund the purchase of the materials that we need to fulfil our growing order book.”

Malcolm Green is a Portfolio Executive with the Development Bank. He said: “With a proven track record and excellent reputation in joinery and fire safety, Neil has built a successful business with a strong foothold in the housing sector. Our continued support is helping to boost Dragon Fire Doors and accelerate the growth at a time when the market opportunity is gathering real pace.”

The loan for Dragon Fire Doors came from the £500 million Wales Flexible Investment Fund. Financed by Welsh Government, the Fund is for deals between £25,000 and £10 million. Loans, mezzanine finance, and equity investments are available for Welsh businesses with terms of up to 15 years.