DISABLED people will soon be able to scoot round Blackpool town centre on hired wheels.

The Disability Information Service is launching a Shopmobility scheme, giving local users a half-day's hire of a wheelchair or electric scooter as often as they want for just £12 a year.

Holidaymakers, too, will be able to hire the equipment and make use of a ten per cent discount C-Cab service to and from the Shopmobility base, due to be opened at the Hounds Hill Shopping Centre on October 20.

In addition, blind people will be offered assistance to help them shop, and shop managers are co-operating to give the disabled better access to their stores and a better service.

DIS development worker Lisa Naylor said: "There's certainly been a need for this in Blackpool because current wheelchair hire services are quite costly and access has been poor."

Ms Naylor is also developing a holiday service for the disabled, eventually leading to international house exchanges with people whose homes have disabled adaptations, and hire of a helper abroad.

Anyone wanting to inquire about Shopmobility should contact Carol Gradwell on 792444.

Previous news story

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.