A year after Newton Abbot's Shopmobility scheme enjoyed a £30,000 makeover the number of people using the service has started to rocket and people are travelling from far and wide to use it.
The low-cost scooter hire service was on the verge of closure a few years ago and its besieged offices in the town's multi-storey car park were the target of vandals and nuisance youths.
But following the spruce up and a fresh new shopfront to attract potential hirers the number of people using the service has steadily grown and in the first three months of 2006 it leapt by 40 per cent compared with last year.
'We're no longer hidden away in a dark and vandalised alley and people can see we're here now,' said trustee, Keith Walter. Scooters were hired out nearly 1,700 times in the past year to almost 300 individuals attracted to the town by its suitability for those who find walking a struggle. And according to Mr Walter, it's not just Newtonians who appreciate the service.
'We work with ring and ride services that come from Crediton, Tiverton and the South Hams,' he said. 'We're also finding that people are coming here specifically having found us through the internet and tourist information centres.'
Not content with its growing success the charity is keen to attract yet more users to the service, as Mr Walter explained. 'If you know someone who could get out and about this summer with the use of a wheelchair or scooter, or if you need help yourself, get in touch,' he said.
'As far as we're concerned, the more the merrier.'