Mobility Products for Winter Nights

This entry was posted in General January 21, 2021

As the crisp mornings and cold winter nights are fully upon us now, we start to think of ways to keep us warm and healthy both mentally and physically.

It is extremely important for our health to stay warm during the colder weather. Simple solutions like putting an extra jumper on in the morning, a heated blanket on the sofa or even some warm wool socks can help you stay well this Winter.

For those of you who aren’t suited to the colder climate, whether it’s down to personal preference or an underlying condition – staying warm isn’t easy.  We thought now was the perfect time to round up some of our favourite products that can keep you warm.

Starting off simple we have our Heated Lap Blanket. Designed with a Fleece touch material and dual temperature setting, the heated lap blanket allows you to choose the warming temperature you desire. It is perfect to be used whilst sitting in the lounge, or can be used in bed or in the car with the car adapter included. It is ideal to be used to improve circulation, alleviate muscle pain and rebuild injured tissue.

If you are looking to venture out for some fresh air during the cooler temperatures, then our Tiller Covers are ideal if you are using a mobility scooter. Not only do they protect your Scooter controls from the weather by keeping them dry, but they also keep your hands warm too. Our Tiller covers are great for mobility scooter users.

Another popular Mobility Scooter accessory for the cooler weather is our Scooter Canopy. This canopy is designed for the majority of mobility scooters, and works by covering the whole scooter, blocking out any cool winds or rain from the scooter user. If you own a mobility scooter then this canopy is a great buy for keeping you warm over the next coming months.

If you are looking to venture outside over the coming months, but possibly on a wheelchair, then our Hand Muff is ideal for keeping your hands warm. It features a fleece lining effect and elasticated cuffs to keep the heat in and the cold out, as well as a showerproof material on the outside to withstand all conditions.

A slightly alternative product that can be beneficial for mental health throughout the colder months is our SAD light therapy lamp. This lamp is designed to ease the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which is a form of depression triggered by long nights and short days. The lamp works by supplementing your daily intake of light in order to achieve the recommended dose of lumens, through its LED panel and dimming features. This product is highly important for those who spend the majority of the time indoors without sufficient daylight.

All of our suggested products are available to order for home delivery on our website, or alternatively pop into your local Ableworld store or give us a call.

As a caring Mobility Retailer, we hope our product suggestions help you to stay warm over the next few cold months. Make sure you take care of yourself, stock up on warm drinks, stay active and wrap up warm.

All of our stores are fully open and our friendly customer service team are on the end of the telephone to help also- simply call us on Freephone 0800 096 5440.

Take care

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Hidden Disabililties Sunflower

This entry was posted in General January 18, 2021

At Ableworld we are delighted to announce that we have recently become a Member of the Hidden Disabilities Scheme. As a caring mobility retailer, we felt it was important to recognise the well-known Sunflower and work with this wonderful Charity to spread awareness across the UK.

Not all disabilities are visible – some are hidden and not immediately obvious, such as learning difficulties, mental health as well as mobility, speech, visual or hearing impairments. Living with a hidden disability can make daily life more demanding for many people, but it can be difficult for others to identify, acknowledge or understand the challenges you face. This is why it’s important we recognise the sunflower in order to help those choosing to wear it.

They affect each person in different ways and can be painful and exhausting. Without visible evidence of the hidden disability, it is frequently difficult for others to acknowledge the challenges faced and as a consequence, sympathy and understanding can often be ignored.

Wearing the Sunflower discreetly indicates to people that the wearer may need additional support, help or a little more time. For many, wearing the lanyard can help those feel more comfortable when leaving home every day.

At Ableworld we are now suppling Hidden Disability Lanyards and cards in selected Ableworld stores across the UK. Simply ask us in store for further details and our friendly team will be sure to help.

We are proud to be able to support the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme, and recognise the important work that this charity does.

Take care and we hope to see you in store soon.

 

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Ableworld named as one of the top Franchise Businesses in the UK

This entry was posted in General December 23, 2020

Here at Ableworld we are proud to have recently been placed in the Elite Franchise Top 50 for 2021 which celebrates franchise business around the UK who are working hard to support and grow their network of franchises.

As well as featuring in the Top 50 businesses, we were featured as the 3rd best bricks and mortar retailer in the UK which is a great achievement for Ableworld.

The Elite Franchise Top 100 celebrates the industries brightest franchises, taking into account some key criteria as well as how they have coped through a difficult 2020.

At Ableworld we have remained open throughout the Coronavirus Pandemic to support people living with reduced mobility, providing essential equipment. As an ethical trader who looks after our customer’s needs and individual requirements, our teams have built great relationships within communities and often go above and beyond to help our customers.

Managing Director Mike Williams said “We are honoured to be recognised in the Top 50 franchises in the UK, especially considering the difficult year everyone has had. Retail has suffered with the pandemic as the government insisted retailers close their doors in fight against Coronavirus. Being a retailer providing essential equipment to vulnerable people, all of our stores remined open through the pandemic to help support our local communities. We are proud of all of our team members, business owners, and support staff for continuing to provide the best possible service to our customers through this difficult time. Many of our customers live with incontinence, struggle to manage the stairs or sleep in a chair if they do not have the strength to get up so we knew we needed to continue to support people as much as we could.

Being recognised as one of the best retail franchise businesses in the UK and the 3rd bricks and mortar retailer, is a huge achievement for Ableworld, as we know that helping people live more independently means so much to so many people.

We want to take the opportunity to send our best wishes to everyone for a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.”

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Ableworld Thank staff for their hard work throughout 2020

This entry was posted in General December 21, 2020

We wanted to take the opportunity to reward our staff who have worked so hard throughout 2020 and have taken the decision to close our mobility stores over the Christmas period, giving our teams an extended Christmas break.

We are so proud of everyone who works at Ableworld, the last 12 months haven’t been easy for anyone but our teams have continued to offer customers a friendly face and support going above and beyond, through these difficult times providing essential equipment. As such we wanted to thank everyone for their continued dedication and have changed our opening hours this year to ensure everyone gets some extra family time to rest and relax with their loved ones.

All company owned stores will be closed from 4pm on Christmas eve until 9am on Tuesday 29th December to ensure staff have 4 consecutive days off to rest and enjoy Christmas.

Some of the Ableworld franchise stores are choosing to open due to the support needed in their local communities so for details on the opening hours for your local store please click here. Our stairlift helpline will also remain fully operational over Christmas and New Year, for emergency call outs and repairs.

We also want to thank customers, staff and suppliers for their support throughout 2020 wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

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Ableworld Stafford Winner of Wheelchair Prize Draw

This entry was posted in General December 14, 2020

Throughout the past two months, in our Ableworld Stafford store we have been delighted to have been able to run a free prize draw competition to win a brand new Dash Express transit wheelchair.

Thank you to everyone who entered, we received lots of entries via in store entry forms and on Facebook.

There could only be one winner of the prize however, and randomly chosen was Mandy Baker, who we had the pleasure of awarding her new Wheelchair to on Thursday 10th December at our Stafford store.

Craig, our Stafford Store Manager, was thrilled to present the wheelchair to Mandy, who stated “The wheelchair is greatly needed to help with dad, I’m really pleased as I’ve never won anything before”.

Store manager Craig said “It was lovely to meet Mandy, she is a very worthy winner who has dedicated her life to caring for others. It felt fantastic to give something back and help Mandy as she has helped so many others.”

Mrs Baker entered the competition on Facebook, after spotting the advert in her news feed one day.

Thank you again to everyone who entered our competition and keep your eyes peeled for some more exciting store competitions to come in the New Year.

We hope you and your Dad enjoy using the new wheelchair Mandy!  

If you live in or around the Stafford area, and require any advice or assistance with mobility or stairlift aids then please feel free to visit our Ableworld Stafford store at Kingsmead Retail Park, Stafford, ST16 3AD, or call our friendly team on 01785 319315. 

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Ableworld Support Local Foodbank this Christmas

This entry was posted in General November 30, 2020

Ableworld try to support local charities as much as possible, and Christmas usually give us an opportunity to encourage our teams to offer support to others in need. 

With the pandemic, this year, Ableworld Head Office decided to support Nantwich Foodbank with their reverse advent calendar appeal. The pandemic has affected so many lives in so many different ways and those relying on foodbanks has increased dramatically during the last 12 months.

Nantwich foodbank was set up in 2013 and has grown year on year, supporting more people in the local community who may need help. Foodbanks across the UK deliver a food parcel approximately every 9 seconds.

Sara Chesters, Senior Operations Manager for Ableworld said

“We always try to support a local charity over the Christmas period, as our head office team are always keen to support and looking for ways to help others. We saw the reverse advent calendar and thought it was a fantastic opportunity to support a great local cause. We quickly received a large number of donations and have continued to remind colleagues throughout November to bring items in, just by picking up a few extra items during a weekly shop, or adding an extra gift for someone while Christmas shopping, and what an amazing response we received. As you can see, we have collected a huge amount of gifts, treats, food and money which has all been handed over to a very appreciative team this morning at Nantwich Foodbank. We are really pleased we have been able to help, hopefully make someone’s Christmas a little easier this year.

A spokesperson from Nantwich Foodbank said “Wow, thank you so much. We rely on donations and really appreciate you and your colleagues for supporting our cause this year. You really will make a difference to so many local people this Christmas. Thank you”

Please support and utilise your local foodbank

There are many local foodbanks around the UK and we would encourage everyone to think about making a donation of whatever they can to support them. Anyone, from any walk of life could find themselves reliant on a foodbank and we think its fantastic what these volunteers do to help others. We also want to encourage people to use their local foodbanks if they are in need, they are there to help, for whatever reason that may be. Search online for your local foodbank or contact your local Citizens Advice or Social Services teams.

Everyone at Ableworld would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas

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Be Careful when Shopping Online

This entry was posted in General November 27, 2020

With Black Friday upon us I’m sure a lot of us are excited to dive in and snap up loads of ‘Bargains’ this festive period so we can treat ourselves and loved ones. We wanted to remind you to stay alert whilst Online shopping; especially over the next few weeks coming up to Christmas.

• Make sure you do your Research on companies online to make sure they’re legitimate. There is nothing worse than thinking you have found a bargain and it turning out to be a fake website and it never arrives. It is best to follow your gut when online shopping. Try and stick to popular retailers to ensure a safe purchase.
• A quick and easy way to find out if the website is secure is to look in the top left corner in the browser and look for the padlock. This will ensure this website is secure and safe to buy from. Another way to check this is making sure the URL has HTTPS in. The “S” indicated that the website is secure as well.
• When creating an account online, your account will usually save personal details so we need to make these secure by using a strong password. The only personal information you need to provide is your Name, Address and payment details.
• When spending a larger amount over £100, when possible use a Credit card or even PayPal. You will have more protection this way. This is because you are covered by ‘section 75’ of the Consumer Credit Act. This means the credit card company has equal ‘Liability’ with the seller if there’s a problem with the things you’ve bought or the company fails.
• Avoid using Public Wi-Fi. Your personal phone data will be more secure than this.

We wanted to share some tips to make sure you are really getting yourself a good deal this Black Friday and festive season. In order to guarantee yourself a saving, you will need to firstly prepare the items you are looking to purchase and search for the cheapest price beforehand. This will make you aware on what you should be paying. Make sure you stay up to date with their promotions and offers via Social Media platforms, or subscribing to their email marketing campaigns. This will allow you to get to know the Brand on a closer level and may potentially save you a lot from false promises on Black Friday.  Finally make sure the website is secure that you are buying from.

Recent research carried out by Which? reveals that many items which are shown on “offer” have actually been cheaper earlier in the year. Just because it says deal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s cheaper. Some companies rely on people falling for their marketing messages. However, there is no doubt some items will have great savings! We just want to make sure you get the best genuine offers.

As a caring and Ethical Mobility Retailer, we wanted to make sure you stay safe whilst Online Shopping.We hope you have found this information useful and we wish you all the best with your Christmas Shopping.

Stay safe and we hope to see you soon.

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