TRAVELLING around York has just got better for those with mobility problems - thanks to this new scooter donated by the owners of the Evening Press.

Shopmobility York, which loans scooters and wheelchairs to people who struggle to get about the city, now has a new electric scooter after being handed a £1,500 grant.

The cash was donated by the Gannett Foundation - the charitable arm of our American owners, Gannett.

Shopmobility manager Denis Kelly said the new scooter was a replacement for an older vehicle that was reaching the end of its "economic life".

"I'm absolutely delighted," he said. "We do rely on funding like this to replace and renew our fleet."

The charity operates from the Coppergate Centre car park and has 12 scooters and 11 wheelchairs - two of them electric - to loan out to anyone who has difficulty walking.

Between 750 and 1,000 people a year use its services, of which between 500 and 600 are visitors to York.

Denis said: "It's the difference between enjoying York and not enjoying York.

"We loan our scooters and wheelchairs to anyone with mobility difficulties so they can go round the city centre, go to the attractions, and simply take in the sights. Many users have expressed grateful thanks for the existence of our scheme."

The Gannett Foundation gives cash twice yearly to worthy causes in the community, with grants administered by its newspaper titles.

Also benefiting from this allocation of grants was a Scarborough charity that provides a refuge for women and children scarred by domestic abuse.

The charity, Scarborough Women's Aid, runs a sanctuary for women and children that can accommodate up to ten women and about 20 children. Now the voluntary charity has won a £4,000 grant which will be used to buy equipment for a new centre in Scarborough.

The centre is intended to provide work sessions for women and children to help improve their chances of education and employment, as well as develop valuable parenting skills.

The group will use the money to buy a computer, software, an overhead projector and screen and flip chart stand, along with crockery and flasks.

The Malton-based Encephalitis Society, which provides support for sufferers of the disease and campaigns for better awareness, also won a grant under the scheme.

The next round of grants will be available this autumn. Look out for details in your Evening Press from September.

Updated: 10:35 Friday, June 24, 2005