Posted by
Emma White
Save ShopMobility Guildford
Age UK Surrey has announced the impending closure of the Guildford Shopmobility service, a decision made in consultation with the Guildford Borough Council. This fiscaldriven decision has raised significant concerns for the community, as it directly impacts disabled, elderly and residents with short term loss of mobility (for a variety of often complex reasons) who depend on this essential service for shopping and visiting the town centre. We believe that the consultation process was not carried out correctly with the involved parties or local councilors. In addition the closure notice limits our time for a cohesive response. Closure was announced on the 13th May with a closing date of June 12th.
The closure wil result in the dismantling of the office and the sale of valuable equipment that facilitates mobility for many in our community. With this in mind any action to counter this has to be swift and effective if we have any hope of success in keeping this service open.
The campaign to save this vital service has been started by regular users and we urge the public to join us to save the Guildford Shopmobility Service. This is an urgent and time-sensitive matter, and community support is crucial to preserve this vital service. We are currently providing information on how individuals can contribute to the campaign and whom to contact to make their voices heard. You can visit our Facebook group entitled “Save Guildford ShopMobility” sign our petition and voice your concern about the loss of this service for our town centre.
We encourage everyone to stay informed and participate in the efforts to retain this critical service that supports the independence and quality of life for many local vulnerable residents. For more information, updates on the campaign, and ways to help, please contact us via our Facebook group “Save Guildford ShopMobility”. Link here: Save Guildford ShopMobility | FacebookSign our petition on Change.Org here: Sign the Petition Together, we can strive to ensure that Guildford remains accessible to al its residents. Contacts for more information Shirlee Posner 07917891881 / [email protected] Ruth House 07827521363 / [email protected]
Amanda Masters, from Experience Guildford commented: Not only has Shopmobility helped me personally to gain confidence and independence to get out and about, it helps so many other people access the town centre whereas we would be excluded. Not only is it a blow for the disabled community, it is a blow to the town centre’s economy. Disabled and elderly people spend money too!
Background information
Guildford ShopMobility was set up in 1990. This was a direct response to the need for help for disabled , elderly and temporarily incapacitated residents (regardless of age) to be able to use wheelchairs, powerchairs and mobility scooters to navigate the town centre. This is even more relevent to Guildford as it has a hily town centre and a cobbiled hight street. There has been a trend in the last few years for some city centre shopmobity services to close. This has been a direct response to private ownership of travel scooters but more so the difficult fiscal landscape that local councils find themselves in. However the funding for this service in Guildford is relatively low at £45k per year. The service also brings in an income from member fees (currently £70 per annum or £40 for 6 months) Whilst the ownership of travel scooter has risen many people prefer to use the more substantial equipment available at ShopMobility as they provide a more comfortable supported experience. Smal travel scooter are poor for suspension and seated support while traveling. Our town centre is not a smooth ride. The service also provides undercover parking and help is at hand from the team on arrival. For many users this is essential as they are unable to live an independent life unless they have help getting their equipment out of their vehicle. The amount of disabled parking in Guildford has reduced substantialy over the years to make was for electric charging points. If its raining getting an electric scooter or chair from your vehicle is can be an unpleasant experience and the equipment could easily be damaged by water.