TGA partners with Forestry England to provide mobility scooters for hire
Forestry England has partnered with TGA Mobility to provide many forests with mobility scooters for hire. Wendover Woods is the latest site to introduce the scooters.
Whether alone or with friends and family, people with limited mobility can connect with nature for better mental health, says Forestry England, which states that it wants everyone to be able to enjoy the woodlands.
As the highest point in the English Chiltern Hills, Wendover Woods covers around 370 hectares and include many picturesque trails to explore.
Luke Buhagiar, Active Forest Coordinator, said: “We decided to reach out to three companies about getting mobility scooters to help our disabled visitors.
“TGA came out with Breeze X scooters for us to try and I got to test one of them. We all decided these were best overall as they gave the most comfortable ride by far.”
Wendover Woods is an uneven forest, so the scooters had to be capable on all sorts of slopes.
Luke continues: “We needed these scooters to be able to access our trails and not just the flat ones. We want visitors to branch out onto our hill fort trail which is our heritage route but is not accessible if you find walking distances hard.
“I tested a Breeze on this trail which is quite challenging and far into the woods – the scooter handled it absolutely fine. This was a big thing for us as we needed to check that they could get over gnarly roots and flint whilst still remaining stable for the rider.”
Two TGA Breeze X mobility scooters are available to hire for free at Wendover Woods. The TGA Breeze X is designed to excel off-road. It has all round suspension, all-terrain tyres, high ground clearance and a large battery range for an assured ride on countryside and coastal trails, and comes with watertight storage.
Wendover Woods also has a changing place facility on site containing a toilet, hoist and bed situated next to the information point. The door width is 94cm and has a standard radar key lock.
Luke adds: “We feel everyone should be able to enjoy the woods, no matter what their mobility is like. The team understand how important nature is for everyone’s well-being.
“Personally, I’m a firm believer in the importance of being outside and spending time surrounded by nature and wildlife. Spending time amongst nature benefits everyone. We are really pleased with our scooters and think they are going to open up the forest to lots more people.
“I’m so passionate about nature, that’s why I do this job. Everyone should be able to get outside and just enjoy the fresh air, wildlife, walking around, whether that’s on your own or with others; it all has amazing benefits.
“I know it’s hard for some people who aren’t as mobile to get out or might struggle with the idea of visiting a forest. Having these Breeze scooters completely changes that and gives people confidence; they empower everyone to enjoy what we can offer. That’s why I think these scooters are brilliant.”
Luke organises many activities from running events and walks to forest yoga and local craft fairs. Next year, he and the team at Wendover are planning a walking event for people with Parkinson’s and those who help them.
Supported by Gladiator events and Parkinson’s UK, they are hoping to welcome around 400 people, in September, to enjoy a two or six-mile walk in aid of the charity.
TGA have partnered with Parkinson’s UK for many years so will also be involved in making the event a success. TGA is the charity’s only approved supplier of mobility scooters. It provides a discount to all people with the condition, and every sale generates a donation back to Parkinson’s UK from TGA.
