Scooter Buddies social group for people who rely on mobility scooters expands to Worthing after success in Littlehampton

Tara Roberts, 39, from Littlehampton, has an invisible illness and drives a mobility scooter. She created Rarars Adventures in October 2019 to help others as she noticed it was hard to judge how disabled friendly new places might be.

She then created Scooter Buddies last summer, as a free group for people with visible and non-visible disabilities. Members have been meeting up regularly in Littlehampton ever since and Scooter Buddies has become a community interest company.

Tara's sister, Hayley Martello, 33, from Worthing, is a volunteer and together they have now launched Scooter Buddies at Brooklands Park.

Hayley said: "We are now a registered CIC and have started running the group at Brooklands. We are still in Littlehampton, we have just expanded to Worthing, too. We currently run two groups every Thursday, 10am to 11.30am and 12.30pm to 2pm.

"We meet at the car park by the new café and we go one route round the park to the café, where you can buy yourself drinks or food, have a chat and a catch up, once it is open, and then we go another route back to the car park. The café is going to be a brilliant community hub.

"Each session is £3 a person and it goes straight back into running Scooter Buddies, as we do not make a profit or take a wage.

"We created this group to offer a fully-inclusive activity for people who rely on mobility scooters for their independence. It's a chance to improve your confidence when using a mobility scooter, to also be able to meet new people and improve your mental health."

Booking is required, by calling 07784320441 or emailing [email protected]