Driving tests planned in Felpham - for mobility scooters

The steering proficiency exams for the privately owned mobility aids form part of the future plans for the Bognor Regis Shopmobility outlet in Felpham Road.

Other proposals include day outings with Sammy Community Transport where users can take along their scooters and a long-term hire system for care homes to enable their residents to go out when they want instead of hiring the vehicles individually.

The plans are designed to limit the impact of Shopmobility's exclusion from Butlins. The charity was told there would be no room for it in the new-look holiday centre after about ten years there. Butlins is also planning to run a mobility aids hire service.

Shopmobility's final months at Butlins between April and December 2007 saw 10,156 hirings from 795 registrations. That was way above the 4,549 hirings and 340 registrations from the charity's head office from April 2007 to March 2008.

Shopmobility manager Marian Court said the charity intended to fight back to keep itself going. "We have got our regular customers who come to us from Butlins still. We don't know what's going to go on next year."

The Felpham Road branch was officially opened last Thursday by one of the area's police community support officers, Toby Florescu.

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