Chesterfield & District Shopmobility
Making Access a Reality
Chesterfield Shopmobility was established in May‚ 1990‚ to provide shopping support for people with mobility difficulties in Chesterfield. 
It has been a ‘project’ of Chesterfield Community Transport during that time‚ but has become a registered charity in it's own right from the 1st December 2005, changing it's name to Chesterfield and District Shopmobility. Further details about the Chesterfield service can be obtained by phoning 01246 – 559331 or 559328.
Funding for the services comes from a variety of sources. Initially it was just from Chesterfield Borough Council‚ whose original idea it was‚ but support now comes also from North East Derbyshire District Council‚ from the Derbyshire Primary Care Trust‚ Derbyshire community Foundation‚ from local Banks like the Abbey‚ Yorkshire and Lloyds TSB‚ as well as from Nottingham Building Society‚ and from local town and parish Councils.
In addition income is earned from daily usage fees (just £2 per day)‚ from short and long term loans‚ and from carrying out servicing to privately–owned mobility equipment.
Donations are also gratefully accepted‚ and the staff go out of their way to put on fund–raising events for those little extras.
The main service is still in Chesterfield‚ based on the Ground Floor of the Multi–storey Car Park on Beetwell Street. Here a daily service is available six days a week from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm.
Outdoor Leisure Services
Chesterfield and District Shopmobility's outdoor leisure services are a way of supporting people with mobility difficulties who want to get a little bit more out of their leisure time. In conjunction with four local leisure site operators‚ we have provided a support service with a scooter‚ with membership facilities and training laid on.
Scooter support can therefor be found at:
Creswell Crags, telephone number 01909 – 720378.
Hunloke Community Garden, telephone number 01246 – 254739.
Renishaw Hall Gardens, telephone number 01246 – 432310.
Chesterfield Canal, telephone number 01246 – 551035.
The scooter is available whenever the site is open. Please contact the site operator for further details.
Hospital services
The Royal Mini–Rider service was set up at the Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire Royal hospital in 1998 with Lottery funding.
There are 6 scooters and a dual–control power wheelchair available for people visiting the hospital. This service is available 7 days a week‚ from 8.00am to 8.00pm‚ and the staff of the security department are the people who make sure that support is always available. Telephone No: 01246 – 277271 and ask for ext 2086 for further details.
A similar scheme also operates in Bolsover and Clay Cross Community Hospitals on a smaller basis. Scooters at both these hospitals can be used whenever the hospital is open in ‘normal’ hours‚ and full training can be given by the staff at the Reception desks. Telephone Bolsover Hospital on 01246 – 827901 and Clay Cross Hospital on 01246 – 863031.
Short Term Loans
Of course‚ not everyone just wants to go shopping‚ or to go out for pleasure or to the hospital. Some people want to go on holiday‚ or for a day out. These people are catered for by our Short Term Loans Service‚ which provides a fleet of smaller‚ more portable scooters‚ and manual wheelchairs. These are available by the day or week at a cost of just £3.50 a day (£2.50 for manual equipment) and can enhance any holiday or recreation activity very easily. Some of our equipment has been on cruises‚ around Sandringham‚ and even to the Outer Hebrides. There is no stopping anyone once they get their wheels under them!
Long Term Loans
For those who want support from home on a daily basis‚ we also have our Long Term Loans Service‚ which offers almost complete freedom of mobility for a really knock–down price. Currently costing just £40 a month‚ with a minimum commitment of three months a very wide range of mainstream scooters and power wheelchairs has been made available. Included in the cost is regular maintenance‚ a change of batteries when needed‚ and up to three punctures a year.
Types of Equipment
People often ask what kind of equipment is available in our services. We have tried to build up as wide a variety of equipment as we can‚ because we are conscious that there is a very wide variety of need. We have small and large scooters‚ three wheelers and four‚ finger operated or thumb operated controls‚ left handed and right handed‚ as well as dual controls. Some have stick and crutch holders on them‚ and the weight range catered for ranges between 14 stone at the bottom end to 32 stone at the top.
Our Wheelchairs‚ too‚ are very varied. Power wheelchairs come in the more traditional variety‚ left or right handed‚ and the newer‚ less wheelchair–like kind. Weight limits are mostly 18 stones‚ but some carry up to 23 stones. Manual wheelchairs‚ come in different types‚ self–propelled (large wheeled) and transit (small wheeled)‚ mostly with an 18 stones weight limit but some up to 21 stones. We can also provide wheelchair powerpacks for our users‚ and these can be a real boon to carers who are less able to push their loved ones about. We also have a couple of Rollators for those people who prefer this kind of support.
Special events
We can also provide support at a very wide range of events. We have been running a service each year at Ashover Show‚ and have also supported the Three Valleys Project by providing service at their Canal Days or their Canal Capers and the Trail Boat Festival. We support Creswell Crags on their Access Days‚ and also Bolsover Castle for their Fireworks and other visitor events‚ like the Food and Drink Fair. Bolsover's Christmas festivities and Lantern Parade are also supported‚ as is Eckington Christmas Market. We've even been to Linacre Woods for the Woodland Festival‚ in addition to Bakewell show and the Peak District Fair at Buxton. Carnivals and Galas are also catered for.
Servicing and Repairs.
Another service we provide‚ both for our users and for others‚ is the servicing of mobility equipment. We carry out regular in–house servicing of our own equipment and‚ wherever we can squeeze in work for others‚ we can carry out servicing to privately–owned mobility equipment. Our engineer‚ whom we ‘buy in’ from Community Transport‚ comes to us on Mondays and Fridays. We have developed a wide network of contacts with local mobility companies and main distributors and are able to carry out most kinds of repair and maintenance work on scooters and wheelchairs. Our rates are competitive‚ but it is not our intention to compete with those who make their livelihood selling and maintaining mobility equipment.
Children
We have a number of children and young people who come to us for support‚ and we have been fortunate to be able to work with Horizon Mobility of Cornwall to develop a dual–purpose scooter that will appeal to younger people‚ but which will also be of use to our more general body of users. Our new scooter sponsored by Yorkshire Bank‚ comes in purple and silver‚ with lots of street–cred‚ to encourage younger people with mobility needs to get the most out of life.
Of course‚ none of these services are any good unless people‚ and especially our target users‚ know about them. Our staff are always pleased to go out to groups to make presentations about what we do‚ and the equipment we provide. We talk for free‚ but are always grateful when groups like to make a donation (it helps keep the wolf from the door!!). Talks can be at any time of the day‚ and we usually bring a full complement of equipment for people to try – audience participation is very much the way we work. Currently WIs are a speciality‚ and we are rapidly learning all the words of Jerusalem!!!
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