Bracknell Shopmobility: Boss reveals pandemic issues

Bracknell Shopmobility, which provides mobility scooters to elderly and disabled people to help them get around the town centre from their Princess Square store, is facing a perfect storm of cuts to its annual grant and a drop in footfall due to the pandemic.

When the News visited Shopmobility bosses last year, chiefs warned the store could be forced to close if the charity did not receive more funding.

Almost twelve months later, acting chairperson Colin Wilcox updated the News on the organisation’s position.

He said: “There’s no immediate threat of us not carrying on because we have got a reasonable amount of reserves.

READ MORE: Disability charity Shopmobility pleads for more support

“But we do have a shortfall. It is proving difficult, we’re still trying and doing everything we can.

“We’ve got about two years in terms of leeway, but we don’t want to get to that point. We’re not in a financially sustainable position at the moment because there is a shortfall.

“I would think in two years we might have to start thinking about having to close.”

(Shopmobility members last year told the News they were eager to see Shopmobility carry on for the long-term)

Shopmobility’s grant from Bracknell Forest Council has reduced from £32,800 in 2015/16 to nothing from 2021/2022.

The charity needs to raise around £30,000 a year to cover its running costs and bosses have looked to external funding to plug the gap.

A lot of Shopmobility’s funding, however, comes from events hosted by the charity and sales made through its store and coffee shop, in addition to the fees paid for use of scooters.

READ MORE: Bracknell Shopmobility users say service is 'lifesaving'

But with two national lockdowns and tier 4 measures forcing the shop to close three separate times over the past year (and now a fourth time during the third lockdown), fundraising has not been easy.

Colin added: “We do in a normal year about £30,000 which we put towards our running costs.

“I can’t envisage we’ll be at that level this year.

“It’s obviously had an impact and it’s obviously not finished yet so we’re going to see what it’s going to be like.”

But when Shopmobility has been able to open, Colin has found customers and members have been extra generous in their spending.

He continued: “We have over-raised a bit because I think people have pent-up money.

“When we’ve been open we’ve still had people coming in fairly regularly to use the service.

“People have been generous and people are supporting us.

READ MORE: 'Vital' Shopmobility store is kept open, customers say

“We haven’t been able to run the coffee shop or the events., so although we’ve been open, we haven’t been fully open.”

One regular user of Shopmobility who hopes the store can stay open for the long-term is member Wendy Harcourt.

Ms Harcourt pays £30 a year to use the scooters whenever she visits Bracknell and told the News a lot of members like herself “rely” on the “essential” shop not only for its scooters but for the sociability it provides.

The 65-year-old, from Finchampstead, said: “For myself and for everyone else, there’s a lot of elderly people who need that shop.

“It’s got to keep going. It’s just a shame what’s happened. They do a hell of a lot for the community.

“I know they’ve taken away some of the shops we like, but we still have shops we like going to and it’s nice to see people out in the town and the shopkeepers we have got to know.

“We probably wouldn’t come in [to town without Shopmobility]. It’s going in there that makes your day. You always have a laugh, you’re always smiling and there’s always someone to chat to.

“We definitely need this shop to keep us all going.

“It’s an essential service for the disabled and the elderly. It’s the only place you can get a scooter and it is an essential shop which is needed in the town.

“If it was to close I think a lot of people would be crying. So many people rely on this shop.”

“It’s proving difficult, we’re still trying and doing everything we can” - that’s the message from the chief of a popular local charity after a year of fundraising issues.

Bracknell Shopmobility, which provides mobility scooters to elderly and disabled people to help them get around the town centre from their Princess Square store, is facing a perfect storm of cuts to its annual grant and a drop in footfall due to the pandemic.

When the News visited Shopmobility bosses last year, chiefs warned the store could be forced to close if the charity did not receive more funding.

Almost twelve months later, acting chairperson Colin Wilcox updated the News on the organisation’s position.

He said: “There’s no immediate threat of us not carrying on because we have got a reasonable amount of reserves.

“But we do have a shortfall. It is proving difficult, we’re still trying and doing everything we can.

“We’ve got about two years in terms of leeway, but we don’t want to get to that point. We’re not in a financially sustainable position at the moment because there is a shortfall.

“I would think in two years we might have to start thinking about having to close.”

Shopmobility’s grant from Bracknell Forest Council has reduced from £32,800 in 2015/16 to nothing from 2021/2022.

The charity needs to raise around £30,000 a year to cover its running costs and bosses have looked to external funding to plug the gap.

A lot of Shopmobility’s funding, however, comes from events hosted by the charity and sales made through its store and coffee shop, in addition to the fees paid for use of scooters.

But with two national lockdowns and tier 4 measures forcing the shop to close three separate times over the past year (and now a fourth time during the third lockdown), fundraising has not been easy.

Colin added: “We do in a normal year about £30,000 which we put towards our running costs.

“I can’t envisage we’ll be at that level this year.

“It’s obviously had an impact and it’s obviously not finished yet so we’re going to see what it’s going to be like.”

But when Shopmobility has been able to open, Colin has found customers and members have been extra generous in their spending.

He continued: “We have over-raised a bit because I think people have pent-up money.

“When we’ve been open we’ve still had people coming in fairly regularly to use the service.

“People have been generous and people are supporting us.

“We haven’t been able to run the coffee shop or the events., so although we’ve been open, we haven’t been fully open.”

One regular user of Shopmobility who hopes the store can stay open for the long-term is member Wendy Harcourt.

Ms Harcourt pays £30 a year to use the scooters whenever she visits Bracknell and told the News a lot of members like herself “rely” on the “essential” shop not only for its scooters but for the sociability it provides.

The 65-year-old, from Finchampstead, said: “For myself and for everyone else, there’s a lot of elderly people who need that shop.

“It’s got to keep going. It’s just a shame what’s happened. They do a hell of a lot for the community.

“I know they’ve taken away some of the shops we like, but we still have shops we like going to and it’s nice to see people out in the town and the shopkeepers we have got to know.

“We probably wouldn’t come in [to town without Shopmobility]. It’s going in there that makes your day. You always have a laugh, you’re always smiling and there’s always someone to chat to.

“We definitely need this shop to keep us all going.

“It’s an essential service for the disabled and the elderly. It’s the only place you can get a scooter and it is an essential shop which is needed in the town.

“If it was to close I think a lot of people would be crying. So many people rely on this shop.”