I should have known better, I read the warnings re. steering wheels on this forum, but they seemed quite well made and the guy in the shop showed me another steering wheel which was cut so you could see a ring of steel running through the middle of the rim.
Well we fitted it today and it seemed to flex a bit, just using our hands we were able to bend the spokes quite easily then snap the rim of the steering wheel.
There is a ring of steel running through a piece of MDF for the rim, but the steel is only about 3 mm thick, is quite rusty and barely attached to the spokes, which are low grade steel.
Oh well lesson learnt at least we found out before it went on the road.