Clark & Partners donates two mobility scooters to historical tourist attraction in South Yorkshire
Mobility retailer Clark & Partners has donated two mobility scooters to give disabled and elderly visitors greater freedom to explore at Wentworth Woodhouse, in South Yorkshire.
The battery-powered scooters can cover up to 16 miles and can cope with stone and wooden floors on the Grade I listed Rotherham mansion’s ground floor, plus gravel paths and lawns in the grounds.
The scooters have been gifted to Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust by Handsworth-headquartered Clark and Partners, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary next month.
The mobility specialist decided to donate the scooters after touring the house and learning about the Trust’s determination to become one of the most inclusive and accessible visitor destinations in the country.
Debbie Ashton, Sales and Marketing Director, explained: “When we heard about its mission we immediately decided we wanted to help.”
“Wentworth Woodhouse’s objectives are in line with our ethos of helping people with disabilities, and mobility issues in older age, to keep their freedom, confidence and independence. We realised how difficult it must be for someone who relies on a scooter to get around the house and gardens and decided to donate two vehicles.”
“Our shareholders live in Rotherham, we employ 39 staff from the local area and our MD Paul Bennett once worked on the wider Wentworth Estate, shadowing the gamekeeper. We love Wentworth Woodhouse and are proud to support it.”
Clark and Partners began as car repairers, went on to specialise in adapting disability cars and became wholly focused on mobility following a management buyout in 2019.
Its four stores in Sheffield, Rotherham and Derby and online shop supply mobility equipment ranging from daily living aids to powered wheelchairs, home lifts and hoists. The company also provides a start-to-finish home adaptation consultancy service to enable clients to stay at home.
The One Rehab Vantage scooters, which retail from £1,575 each, will be available to hire for free at Wentworth Woodhouse, those interested in using one can contact info@wentworthwoodhouse org.uk
Sarah McLeod, Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust’s CEO, commented. “We are very grateful for this very generous gift from Clark and Partners. It means people with mobility challenges who may not have been able to visit us can now plan to do so. It can be very difficult to transport your own mobility scooter; we will now have two charged up and waiting.
“The scooters are a great boost to the Preservation Trust, which is working hard to make Wentworth Woodhouse as welcoming and accessible as possible for everyone who works, visits or volunteers here.
“There are many improvements we want to make, including the addition of a lift to our first and upper floors, which we need so badly. We plan to start fundraising for this in the near future.”
Original story credit: Jo Davison
