Shopmobility Basingstoke receives Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
A Shopmobility store in Basingstoke has received a special award, equal to an MBE, for its 25 years of voluntary and valued service in the community.
The store stated that it was proud to announce that it received the prestigious Queen’s Award on Thursday, December 1 at its premises on Church Street.
Ready to collect the award was Shopmobility’s longest-serving volunteer Maureen Spencer. Also present was the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Nigel Atkinson, the Deputy Lieutenant, Hugo Cubitt, the Mayor and Mayoress of Basingstoke and Deane, Cllr Paul Miller and Sandra Miller, along with staff, and volunteers.
Shopmobility provides a wide range of mobility scooters, wheelchairs, and walking aids suitable for all abilities. People can hire equipment from Shopmobility to improve their access to the town centre and facilities.
Tom Gilvear, chair of Shopmobility, told The Basingstoke Gazette: “This award is for our volunteers and all of the hard work they do.
“We aim to provide help for people who need it, but we are so much more than just a scooter hirer. People can come in here with questions they have concerning disabilities or if they are feeling unsafe or lonely to have a chat and a hot drink.
“Our customers all have their favourite scooter, so they call up and ask, ‘can I have Tuppence’, which is the name of one of the scooters and god forbid if someone else has Tuppence on that day!”
Michelle, centre manager for the last four and a half years, said: “Our volunteers and customers are our extended family, they say when you find a job you truly love you will never work a day in your life again and that’s me, I’m never going anywhere.”
Non-profit organisation, Shopmobility UK, is a nationwide network of centres which hires out mobility equipment to the public. It charges a fixed price to hire out a scooter for £5 a day, which people can collect at 9am and return for 4.15pm.
However, where possible volunteers can meet customers at their homes or local bus stops and train stations if travelling to their premises isn’t accessible. It also supports people who need scooters for longer periods of time.
In 2021, Shopmobility launched a new website that had been designed to provide for easier access to information and its membership services.
