Lakeside has relaunched its Shopmobility service with the help of South East Mobility and Beacon Hill Academy. Shopmobility provides over 13,000 customers each year with access to a range of standard and powered wheelchairs, as well as powered scooters, for free use during their visit to Lakeside.
The shopping centre has invested heavily in brand new equipment for Shopmobility through a partnership with South East Mobility. Mobility scooters now range from the mini “Prism“ to the mid-sized “Neo”, right up to the luxury “Aviator” so Shopmobility users will be able to find the right one for them to explore the shops at Lakeside. Brand new electric and manual wheelchairs are also available.
Children from Beacon Hill Academy, a local specialist college for sensory and physical needs, who Lakeside partnered with earlier on in the year were invited back to paint the walls outside Shopmobility to commemorate the relaunch and brighten up the space.
Paul Lancaster, Lakeside’s General Manager, says: “Lakeside has a dedicated Shopmobility centre and over 300 disabled parking spaces. People don’t have to be registered as disabled to use the service, and it doesn’t matter if you’re young or old. It’s an extremely popular free service that we know our shoppers really appreciate and we’re absolutely committed to ensuring it continues to thrive.”
Shopmobility is based in Car Park 10 (also known as Car Park Blue) at Lakeside on level one.
I rely on the shopmobility service for a wheel chair and parking so that I can assist my sister who has motor neuron disease to shop at Lakeside and we do so regularly. The service has been invaluable and the staff are extremely helpful. However, a short while ago new rules were introduced, 2 forms of ID rather than 1 are now required. I always carry my photo driving licence which shows both my address and photo but I do not generally carry other forms apart from debit and credit cards (which are not accepted). I asked if the new rules were brought in because equipment had been stolen and was told it had not. A shopping trip, for someone with disabilities and their carer can be hard work and involve a lot of forethought and planning and this just adds to the list. Whilst I realise the FREE service and equipment needs to be protected, the new rules which also included booking 3 hour time slots (I understand these are not rigid though) seem unnecessary. You are lucky to have staff at Lakeside that are very helpful and use their initiative however that may not always be the case. I repeat the shopmobility scheme is a wonderful service and makes life easier for users, I have nothing but praise for the service itself but I assume it is also important for the shopping centre and the shops within it to be accessible to all customers. Rules for rules sake is always a bad thing.