14 June 2005
Free scooters to help less agile enjoy Central City's attractions
A "mixed-ability scooter dance" outside Christchurch's Art Gallery on Friday morning (17 June) will help launch a new
mobility scooter scheme in the city designed to help people get around and enjoy the Central City and cultural precinct.
TSB Bank has given six new scooters to the Christchurch City Council to help people with limited mobility enjoy the
Central City. A similar scheme has been running in Wellington since June last year and New Plymouth also has TSB-donated
scooters to help people enjoy its waterfront park.
>From 18 June, the scooters will be available free from the Botanic Gardens, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o
Waiwhetu, the Arts Centre and at Our City Otautahi -- the Council facility on the corner of Worcester Boulevard and
Oxford Terrace.
Kevin Rimmington, TSB Bank Managing Director and Chief Executive, says the girft is to thank the region. "We enjoy
wonderful support from the people of Christchurch and surrounding districts," he says. "Involvement in this mobility
scheme is one way for us to say thank you -- to reward the region's people -- for that support."
The electric-powered scooters are safe and easy to use. For some people, walking around the Botanic Gardens or Arts
Centre is difficult. The scooters will allow users to do things that fitter and more mobile people regard as everyday
activities -- shopping or simply "strolling" to enjoy the arts and gardens.
The scooters will be available to anyone who has limited mobility, from someone with a broken leg to wheelchair users to
the elderly. They can be booked for up to three hours and no payment is needed. People will simply be asked to leave a
security item such as a drivers licence, another suitable card or car keys. At each collection point there will be
someone who can show new users how to operate the machines.
Friday's launch is at 11am. Lyn Cotton and Fleur de Their from Jolt, the mixed-ability dance company, have choreographed
a scooter dance they describe as quirky and racy. Their final rehearsal, also outside the gallery, is at 9am on Friday.
To book a scooter or to find more about them, people are asked to call the Council on 941 8888
ENDS