Mum was wheel whizz-ard on centre's electric avenue

MOBILITY SCOOTER SCHEME PUT HER BACK ON ROAD TO SHOPPING HEAVEN

- DIANNE BOURNE

FOR the young and able-bodied, getting from one end of the giant Trafford Centre shopping centre to the other is barely given a second thought.

But for anyone with health or mobility issues, it can be a daunting prospect.

It’s certainly something my mum is now aware of, at the age of 78.

In recent years she has stopped going to big shopping centres due to the amount of walking involved. It’s a shame as she always used to love a trip out to places like the Trafford Centre.

She can now only walk short distances with the aid of a stick or trolley, but isn’t keen on being pushed in a wheelchair.

However, when I mentioned I’d like her to try the Trafford Centre’s mobility scooter scheme, she was more than willing to give it a whirl.

An electric scooter like this gives the user a bit more independence as they’re not relying on a carer to operate them. Although I did stay by mum’s side throughout the day to keep an eye on her.

Once booked, you arrive at your set time and collect the scooter from Guest Services, located adjacent to the Blue Badge spaces in Regent Crescent car park 13.

Driving to the Trafford Centre on a midweek morning in December at 10.30am (the shops open at 10am) I thought the car park would be pretty quiet, but we were surprised to find that most of the disabled spaces were already taken along the long run closest to the Guest Services entrance.