A FORMER professional rugby player whose sporting career was ended by injury is enjoying business success after moving into the growing renewables market.

A torn Achilles tendon ended the career of Newcastle Falcons lock Jason Oakes in November 2007.

Mr Oakes, 33, from Wheatley Hill, County Durham, set up Oakes Heating Services after retiring from the game and has seen business take off in both standard commercial and domestic work and, this year, in the renewables sector.

In three years of trading, the business has continued to meet growth targets of 20 per cent year on year.

With the introduction of the Government’s Feed in Tariffs (FiTs) in April, which give users a payment for installing solar panels, to be followed by the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which expands the scheme to other devices next year, the uptake of green energy devices is expected to climb rapidly.

Mr Oakes expects installation of equipment, including high-temperature air source heat pumps and solar panels, to become the major part of his business.

As work increases, he will be employing someone next month, taking the total number of staff at the firm to five.

Mr Oakes said: “It is the way forward and I want the majority of my business to be renewables.

“We do a massive amount of renewables now, I have just installed five high-temperature heat pumps and I have fitted eight solar panels recently.

“Moving into niche areas has opened up exciting new business opportunities for me.

“That side is looking good – in December I have done about £47,000-worth of renewables work.”

The former Blaydon player, who joined the Falcons from National One club Otley in the summer of 2006, playing in 30 matches, had been a gas engineer before becoming a professional sportsman.

He said: “I finished my sporting career one week and the next week I was servicing boilers again. I had to put the same focus I had in my rugby into my business and it is going well.”

As a businessman, he is now seeing a different side to the game.

He said: “I have a table booked for the Sale game and I am taking customers. As a player I used to go and meet people after the game and now the players will be coming to meet me.” In setting up his business, Mr Oakes received support from business support body Business Link to access training.

It helped him achieve Microgeneration Certification Scheme approval enabling the firm to install renewable products.

Business Link advisor Stephanie Campbell said: “Jason is a hardworking individual who has built an extremely successful business.

“He is very committed to achieving further growth and expanding into the renewable technology market, and I look forward to working with him to achieve his goals.”