Fife Shopmobility : Background Information

Where it all began!

In the last 25 years, advances have been made in making shopping facilities more accessible to disabled people with good access and easy-to-use toilets, telephones, lifts, etc. But this, in itself, was not enough, for, once inside, how were disabled people to get about?

This is the reason that Shopmobility came into being.

When three members of Peterborough Disabled Drivers' Club heard of a proposed Shopping Centre for their town, they quickly realized that it would be a no-go area for those with mobility difficulties unless some form of wheelchair transport was made available on site.

However, while these three pioneers discussed things with Peterborough City Council, unknown to them, things were happening elsewhere.

Planners of a huge shopping development at Milton Keynes were considering ways around problems for their customers as the car park radiated around the outskirts of the development.

When Milton Keynes Shopping Centre opened in 1979, eighteen months before the one in Peterborough, its plans incorporated a free wheelchair loan scheme operating from its information office. This was included as one of its services to its customers.

Thus, Shopmobility was a response to a changing shopping environment.

Since then, Shopmobility has grown rapidly with approximately 400 schemes operating throughout the UK.

Glagsow, was the first Shopmobility in Scotland, followed soon after by Fife, welcoming its first customer in Kirkcaldy in September 1991. Glenrothes Shopmobility opened originally in a portable cabin in December 1995 and moved to its present location in April 1997.

Between them, Fife schemes are used by almost 2000 customers.