James Innes, GTO for the Probus Club of Basildon in Essex, organised trip recently for 48 of his members to Wakehurst Place in West Sussex, which is managed by The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in Surrey.

“I was very impressed with the whole visit,” remarks James. “Wakehurst can provide motorised scooters for group members, which meant I was able to invite some of my less mobile members who had been increasingly unable to attend our trips. They were thrilled!”

“I arranged our coach travel, as usual, with the very efficient coach operator Kirby’s Coaches in Essex and we were met on arrival at Wakehurst by a member of staff who gave a little demonstration on how to operate the scooters,” he continues.

The group then separated into two for a tour of the mansion and its gardens. “The guides were really superb,” says James. “I think the nicest thing for everyone though was seeing our less active members whizzing around on scooters enjoying themselves. It was a lovely day,” James concludes.