WHEELCHAIR users in St Helens will soon be given a helping hand to do their shopping thanks to a £300,000 grant from the National Lottery Charities Board.

The money will be used to set up a Shopmobility St Helens scheme to loan battery-powered wheelchairs, scooters and manual wheelchairs to help people with a mobility problem to get around the town centre.

The result of a partnership involving Age Concern, DASH, Merseytravel, St Helens Access Group, St Helens Chamber, St Helens Coalition of Disabled People, St Helens CVS, St Helens Council and the Town Centre Partnership, the scheme will be based on the ground floor of the Chalon War car park.

Steve Hatton, chairman of Shopmobility St Helens, said: "This scheme will provide a valuable service to all people with mobility problems, whether temporary or permanent. It will give individuals and their carers greater independence, accessibility and freedom."

The scheme is expected to be up and running by June this year.

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