A South Yorkshire mobility specialist has donated two mobility scooters to give disabled and elderly visitors greater freedom to explore at Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

The scooters have been gifted to Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust by Handsworth-headquartered Clark and Partners in South Yorkshire.

The mobility specialist decided to donate the scooters after touring the house and learning about the trust’s determination to become one of the most inclusive and accessible visitor destinations in the country.

Debbie Ashton, Sales and Marketing Director at Clark and Patners, explained: “When we heard about its mission we immediately decided we wanted to help.

“Wentworth Woodhouse’s objectives are in line with our ethos of helping people with disabilities, and mobility issues in older age, to keep their freedom, confidence and independence. We realised how difficult it must be for someone who relies on a scooter to get around the house and gardens and decided to donate two vehicles.”

The One Rehab Vantage scooters, which retail from £1,575 each, will be available to hire for free at Wentworth Woodhouse. Those interested in using one can contact info@wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk

The battery-powered scooters can cover up to 16 miles and can cope with stone and wooden floors on the Grade I listed mansion’s ground floor, plus gravel paths and lawns in the grounds.

Sarah McLeod, Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust CEO, commented: “We are very grateful for this very generous gift from Clark and Partners. It means people with mobility challenges who may not have been able to visit us can now plan to do so. It can be very difficult to transport your own mobility scooter; we will now have two charged up and waiting.

“The scooters are a great boost to the Preservation Trust, which is working hard to make Wentworth Woodhouse as welcoming and accessible as possible for everyone who works, visits or volunteers here.

“There are many improvements we want to make, including the addition of a lift to our first and upper floors, which we need so badly. We plan to start fundraising for this in the near future.”

Wentworth Woodhouse visitor Hilary Bullock, 85, of Dronfield, was asked to test drive the scooters when they arrived, along with Lucy Nadin, the trust’s front of house officer.

Hilary said: “My husband was from Blackburn in Rotherham and knew Wentworth Woodhouse well. I love visiting the house and grounds, but I do get tired after walking for a while. I’m so pleased there are now free scooters to use.”

Lucy has the condition Charcot Marie Tooth Disease, which causes muscle wastage in her legs and arms.

She added: “The scooters will give me more independence to explore the house and gardens unaccompanied, in my own time. I think it’s great we can now offer this free service to our visitors so that more people will be able to access what Wentworth Woodhouse has to offer.”

Clark and Partners has four stores across Sheffield, Rotherham, and Derby and an online shop that supplies mobility equipment ranging from daily living aids and powered wheelchairs to home lifts and hoists. The company also provides a start-to-finish home adaptation consultancy service to enable clients to stay at home.

Independent living aids manufacturer NRS Healthcare and Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust recently donated assistive paediatric devices to children in Moldova.

 

Original story credit: Jo Davison

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