Thistle Help is an Ayrshire-based business that provides sales, hire and repair of mobility equipment and living aids: putting the customer at the heart of everything they do. 

Thistle Help was set up in 2007 by Laura Hays and George Ruddick. According to Laura, they like "to give things back in the community, we give to charity, offer work experience, attend careers events."

Irvine Times:

After starting with a team of two, Thistle Help now has 12 staff members and two showrooms, one in Irvine and one in Crosshouse in Kilmarnock.

“With our Managing Director, George Ruddick being disabled, we are in an unique position through George’s personal experience of trying to obtain mobility aids for his personal use,” explains Laura. “We provide mobility aids, and various other products, to the public, and we also supply to care sector and to nursing homes with hoists and other equipment. We also offer hire equipment and we do repairs as well.”

The team at Thistle Help pride themselves on the personal touch that they offer their customers. Rather than selling their products online, where it can be difficult for customers to establish whether what they are buying is right for them, Thistle Help assist their customers in-person.

“We had an e-commerce site years ago but it isn’t what our business is about, we prefer for people to come in and get advice from our team on what the best product is for them.

“With our customers needs being unique, we don’t want someone buying a rise and recline chair online because every chair is different, and every customer is different. We need to make sure it is the right size for them.

“We have two large showrooms, which allows customers to try our products with plenty of space. They can even test drive some products outside as well, as we have a large car park to give them a proper feel for the product outdoors. All our staff wear protective equipment in our showrooms and adhere to Covid guidelines to ensure our customers’ safety.”

If customers aren’t able to visit Thistle Help at the showroom, they also offer home assessments and essential repairs, which can be arranged by phoning 01294 313369 or 01563 542838.

Irvine Times:

Staff training is paramount. The team at Thistle Help are highly knowledgeable and understand the needs and requirements of their customers, with the team working alongside the best suppliers in the industry to supply a range of reliable and competitively priced equipment.

If you want to find out more, you can visit the Thistle Help showroom at 15 Portland Avenue, Irvine, currently open from Monday to Saturday, 10am-2pm.

You can also email sales@thistlehelp.co.uk, or call on 01294 313369 or 01563 542838.

This article was brought to you in association with Thistle Help