Council’s £10k boost for Shopmobility

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Renfrewshire Council is giving £10,000 to a group who help people with mobility impairments to do their shopping.

The Council has awarded the funding to Shopmobility Paisley and District which loans equipment such as scooters and wheelchairs to shoppers on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

Shopmobility is a registered charity. Their free service is also supported by a team of volunteers who help with shopping and act as escorts. The group also provide an information service to people with mobility or sensory impairments.

The service has been based on the ground floor of the multistorey car park in Storie Street, Paisley, since 1999.

Thomas Porter, treasurer of Shopmobility Paisley and District, said: “As a small voluntary scheme, we depend on funding like this to keep the scheme running and allow us to focus on the future development of our service.

We are very pleased that the Council has recognised the value of the service to the people of Renfrewshire and has put our scheme on the same footing as most of the others in Scotland."

Councillor Jackie Green, Renfrewshire Council’s economic development spokesperson, said: “The Council believes in promoting equality of access for all our citizens and sees Shopmobility Paisley and District as an important partner in achieving that aim. Increasing access for shoppers is also good news for retailers in the town centre.

We are pleased that even when finances are very tight, we are now able to put our support for Shopmobility on a firmer footing and look forward to the scheme going from strength to strength in the future.”

Shopmobility are always on the lookout for new volunteers and board members and offer full training and support to those who want to get involved. For further information contact Shopmobility Paisley and District on 0141 889 0441.

Press release: Friday 29 December 2006