Shopping Centre steps in with mobility funding
Date Posted:01/05/2019
The future of Yate Shopping Centre’s Shopmobility facility has been secured for the next twelve months after Yate Shopping Centre agreed to donate £5,000 towards the scheme to ensure its ongoing success.
Andy Lowrey, Yate Shopping Centre Manager: “The Shopmobility unit in West Walk offers a vital service to those who don’t already own a mobility scooter and enables them to take full advantage of the wide range of shops and services on offer in the Centre.
“Importantly the shopping centre is all on one level but Shopmobility allows those that require the service total freedom of access throughout both the main Centre and the adjoining Riverside leisure facilities including the Cineworld cinema. Supporting local charities such as this is an important part of our community work and I am pleased that we are able to help them through the year”.
Sheridan Crew, Project Manager at Shopmobility South Gloucestershire, said:”We are extremely grateful to the Shopping Centre for stepping in to help us through 2019 thus strengthening the good working relationship between both parties.
“Several people use our service to gain confidence in using a mobility scooter before they later decide to buy their own. Also many people who use a mobility scooter within the shopping centre are previous users of our service which gives better flexibility to access shops and services and are not dependant on our opening hours.
“We currently have about 1,500 hires annually and believe this will increase with better promotion and an ageing population. We have over 100 people on our register and support over 250 people annually. Furthermore, we are increasing our opening hours to try to attract more users and have made social contacts with organisations in other areas including Stroud, Dursley and Badminton in order to meet other users.
“Sponsorship such as that by the Shopping Centre is critical for the future of the service and we are always looking for new opportunities”
Yate Shopping Centre is asset managed by Ellandi and the property management is headed by Cushman & Wakefield.
