The ShopMobility initiative at Eastgate Shopping Centre in Basildon provides customers with the free use of equipment such as motorised scooters. This is supported by the Onsight initiative which provides a sighted guide shopping service for the visually impaired. Since 2005 the Centre has invested £14,000 to improve accessibility. This investment has helped secure Community Fund grants worth more than £160,000 over three years to further improve accessibility.
All customer service staff at Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield receive Deaf Awareness training. Equipment offered through ShopMobility includes motorised scooters, manual wheelchairs, walking sticks and walking frames. The Centre also offers accompanied shopping services and a Braille information guide for visually impaired customers. As part of National Blind and Deaf Awareness Week a local journalist experienced the Centre as a visually impaired person would do. She donned misted plastic glasses and was accompanied around the Centre by Ann Ellis from the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
The Peacocks Shopping Centre in Woking issued a number of awards to retailers in conjunction with Shop Mobility, to recognise and encourage their commitment to service for less able members of the community.
At Teesside Shopping Park in Stockton-on-Tees wheelchairs are available for shoppers. All retailers are aware of the facility and contact the management team whenever a wheelchair is needed. A member of the team takes the wheelchair to the customer and if required accompanies the customer until their trip is complete.
Next steps: The management team at Teesside Shopping Park are in discussions with Stockton ShopMobility to introduce the service at the Park in 2007.