YATE’S Shopmobility scheme is a leading light in provision for the disabled.

We should be proud that a relatively small town like Yate has for years offered such a lifeline service to the most vulnerable and often lonely people in society.

It is innovative and responsive, with staff and volunteers always on hand to listen and advise. Modest and run only from the town’s library, it requires little assistance only some financial backing.

In South Gloucestershire, only wealthy shopping precinct The Mall at Cribbs Causeway offers anything similar for shoppers but people with mobility problems from far and wide still choose to use the scooters at Yate and enjoy the facilities our shopping centre has to offer.

Some come from larger towns and cities including Stroud, Bristol, Gloucester and Weston-super-Mare purely because Shopmobility gives them the freedom to shop alone, grab a coffee or meet a friend independently without the need for help or to give their spouse or carer a bit of a break.

The service is no doubt an attribute to the town of Yate and is most certainly earning Yate Shopping Centre an extra buck or two.

But instead of being lauded as one of its inclusive assets, alongside Yate’s new dementia friendly status, Shopmobility is fighting for survival.

The town must step up and keep this vital service running or forever regret the loss of such a beacon in community care.