A GROUP which provides a lifeline to disabled shoppers is set to expand after it received a helping hand.

The Shopmobility project in Colchester loans scooters to people with mobility problems.

The scooters can be used in Colchester town centre.

In recent years, the popular service has been moved from place to place around Colchester including Manor Road, Red Lion Yard and in St Runwald Street, behind Colchester Town Hall.

Now the scheme has found a new home behind the Colchester Community Voluntary Services’ headquarters at Winsley House.

And it has a new purpose-built base after a group of businesses joined forces to concrete the CCVS’s car park behind Colchester High Street.

The project was the brainchild of Andy Mayne who is the managing director at Milbank Concrete Products based in Earls Colne.

Mr Mayne said he was keen to get actively involved with community projects and felt the Shopmobility project was one which deserved support.

Within a matter of days, he had enlisted the help of Dale Hire, which has bases in north Essex, for the digger, G&B Finch from Chelmsford for the concrete and EJ Taylor from Chelmsford for the specialist manpower.

The team worked throughout the day to lay the new base for Shopmobility.

Mr Mayne said: “Milbank Concrete Products have a strong connection to the community and have been actively involved in various community support projects.

“When we were approached by CCVS we were delighted to be able to help them provide their Shopmobility customers with a more practicable and safer car park and access route at their offices in Colchester.”

Their donation of time and materials was the equivalent of £4,000.

CCVS chief executive Tracy Rudling thanks the firms for their support.

She said: “This vital project allows those with mobility issues to hire electric and manual scooters and access the town centre independently with freedom, confidence and dignity.

“Without the support of these businesses, who united to complete this job, we wouldn’t have been able to provide a safe surface for our members.

“We are extremely thankful and know this will have a huge impact on the successful running of this project.”

Now the CCVS has its sights set on expanding the scheme.

It currently has eight mobility scooters but hopes to get more thanks to funding from the Community Initiatives Fund.

It is also hoping to extend its opening hours to five days a week.

For further information on how to hire a scooter, call 01206 505250 to speak to a member of the administration team.

Alternatively, click here for more information on services and support.