A DISABLED charity has made a plea to the public to help save its ShopMobility scheme.

The Accrington ShopMobility group, based in Whalley Road, has had to shut down its services after a funding crisis.

That means that the scores of people who rely on the charity for hiring scooters and wheelchairs to complete their shopping in Accrington centre are now stranded.

Catherine Pattinson from the charity said the service needed to relaunch and had to find £10,000 as soon as possible to upgrade equipment and pay insurance.

The group has four scooters and two electric wheelchairs.

Mrs Pattinson said: "The equipment needs upgrading immediately. We offer an essential service to people and we need to make sure that we are back operational as soon as possible."

Accrington ShopMobility has operated for the past seven years. It runs a subsidised membership scheme where users pay an annual fee of around £13 and then pay £1 every time they need a scooter or wheelchair.

Mrs Pattinson said the group was hoping to secure a sponsorship deal as well as exploring the chances of gaining a grant.

One woman who uses the service, 59-year-old Dorothy Cahill, said the charity was "essential".

She said: "I really rely on it. I've always shopped in Accrington and I would not be able to if it wasn't for this service."

Mrs Cahill, of Barnmeadow Crescent, Rishton, walks with two sticks after suffering a bout of polio as a child.

She added: "I am an independent woman and I do not want someone else to do my shopping for me. It would be a real shame if this service was lost."

Beverley Jenkinson, an Accrington solicitor, has helped the charity with legal advice in the past.

She said: "It is make or break now for the service.

"We have struggled for a while but things have really come to a head now and we just need more people to come forward and give us some support."