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About
Shopmobility YORK
What is Shopmobility?
Shopmobility is a scheme which enables
people, who find walking distances an obstacle, to enjoy the shopping and other
facilities of city centre areas by lending them powered
scooters, electric wheelchairs and manual chairs.
It gives users the independence
to
conduct their own affairs as and when they want, enabling them to exploit city
centre facilities without having to rely on others.
There are currently over 280
Shopmobility schemes operating in the UK.
Why was Shopmobility
York started?
Shopmobility York opened in
November 1998 after an extensive period of planning and preparation showed
conclusively that such a scheme could be of substantial benefit to the city
as a whole.
Reports that were commissioned by the
Council made it clear that Shopmobility York would not only benefit potential
users of the scheme (both residents and visitors), but would also provide
an economic boost to the city. In short, a Shopmobility scheme was
considered to be an essential part of the tourism package offered by York.
How Shopmobility
York is run
Shopmobility York is both a
registered charity and a registered company limited by guarantee. It is run
by a Board of Trustees, not by the City of York Council, though the council does provide
some funding. The Board of Trustees is made up from representatives
of various statutory, voluntary and commercial organisations, and is responsible
for the strategic
and operational management of the organisation.
Shopmobility York employs several staff
who are responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation. There are
also numerous unpaid volunteers who assist the staff. These are the
people you will meet if you visit our Shopmobility Centre.
What does the
future hold?
As Shopmobility York is still a relatively young
organisation, there is a lot still to come in the future. The biggest
objective at present is to continue expanding the service so that opening
hours and the size of the fleet of equipment may be extended. There is great
potential for Shopmobility York to become one of the biggest and best in the
country if we can take advantage of the huge number of visitors that York
attracts.
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