British Red Cross and Tesco provide new pop-up wheelchair loan service in Scarborough
The British Red Cross has teamed up with Tesco supermarket to provide a pop-up wheelchair loan service in Scarborough in the hope that convenient access to wheelchairs will play a big part in helping people get back to life as normal and ensure no one is left behind because of mobility challenges.
British Red Cross says its research shows wheelchairs can support people to recover from illness and injury, improving choice, independence and wellbeing.
The project which aims to help vulnerable people regain their independence by improving their mobility and help ease the pressure on NHS services by freeing up beds and enabling patients to return home sooner.
Geoff Cheshire, Head of the Mobility Aids Service at the British Red Cross, said: “Our partnership with Tesco is a vital link for our mobility aids service, providing wheelchairs to those in need within the community.
“We’re delighted that Tesco is continuing to provide car park spaces at convenient locations where our service users can go to get the equipment they need to enable them to be as active in their lives as possible.”
The pop-up service pilot scheme launched in 2021, in association with Tesco, who welcomed the wheelchair service to 11 stores in Wales and England.
The pilot pop-ups supporting local communities access mobility support have been so successful that the British Red Cross have expanded this service and continues to expand to a total of over 30 pop-ups in Tesco stores.
The Red Cross has 150 staff nationwide dedicated to keeping people mobile. They’ve continued to provide wheelchairs throughout the pandemic, often for unexpected events such as recovery after an accident or an operation.
British Red Cross staff will be on hand once a week in the Tesco car park in Westwood to distribute wheelchairs on a click-and-collect basis.
Wheelchairs can be reserved using the Red Cross online booking system or via the phone by calling 0300 456 1914. Reservations will be assigned to an individual collection time from the Red Cross pop-up point, in the Tesco car park in Westwood.
Where the costs of the service are not covered by funding arrangements, users may be asked to pay a hire fee for the wheelchair. The service offers support to those who genuinely cannot afford to pay based on personal circumstances.
