Huntingdon Shopmobility closes how will the loss of this service will impact lives?
Huntingdon Shopmobility closes its doors
As many of our readers will know, Shopmobility closed its doors at the end of March after all attempts to cover the core costs of its work and keep the charity serving local people failed. Our senior development officer, Kathy, has been talking with Celia to try and understand the impact this loss will have on Huntingdon and the surrounding villages, and to see what learning might be useful to the wider sector locally.
Volunteer successes and the importance of social connection
One of Shopmobility’s strengths was the passion of their volunteers, with just one of those volunteers alone investing over 4,000 hours of her precious free time, skills and experience over a 10-year period. Volunteers at Shopmobility highlighted how being a familiar face for isolated members of the community was an important and meaningful part of the work they did, above and beyond the rental of mobility equipment. Explorations into how to safeguard these important connections continues.
Helping those still in need and possible impact on other community provision
The closure of the service does not, unfortunately, mean the need for the service has disappeared…many of the service users who will feel this loss most keenly are in the villages outside Huntingdon as they will find it difficult to get around town to undertake necessary activities of life without access to a scooter in town. This includes one elderly lady who was housebound for four years before becoming a user of the service. It is unclear what impact the closure will have at this point, but it may mean people have to travel further to undertake critical activities and access Shopmobility in Cambridge or Peterborough. That’s a thought that causes some concern about those busy environments. It may also increase the need for other community transportation services in the area as people have to find alternative ways of getting important things done.
The loss of the service will also have a knock-on impact for those who use radar keys as the Shopmobility office was the place to buy those.
Planning and succession for staff and trustees
Shopmobility has experienced something that many voluntary sector organisations are facing – a changing world and an ageing population. Multiple changes have impacted the organisation at the same time: changes to shopping habits, the restructuring of the town centre, increased access to finance for individuals enabling them to buy their own scooters, difficulties replacing retiring staff and shrinking boards as volunteers retire with few people wanting to replace them – all made worse by the closure of services during the pandemic.
The staff and trustees at Shopmobility worked hard on fundraising to recover and were seeing growth in the success of their efforts, but it was unfortunately not enough to secure their survival. Remaining alert to changes in the wider environment and planning for renewal of staff and trustees is very challenging, so please do contact our development team for support if you think this is something that might affect your organisation, or if you simply want to make sure your trustees have taken the time to think about how the changing world might impact your organisation.
Winding up challenges
Disposal of assets is a major challenge for any organisation that has been operating for a long time and Shopmobility are undergoing this difficult process, though they have successfully found homes for most of the scooters with users of the service helping them keep their independence and stay mobile. Between accommodation and administration, this is a long, often sad, process, as well as a time to celebrate all the good work the organisation did over the many years it served the local community.
What’s next?
Despite the closure of Shopmobility, people still need to shop, still need to be mobile and still need an opportunity to socially connect. We think the legacy of Huntingdon Shopmobility will survive through a network of places in the town centre that welcome mobility scooter and wheelchair users, provide a supportive chat and help signpost people to help when needed.
