‘I asked store to build a path.. and they are!’
Morrisons support mum’s plan
A generous supermarket chain has promised to spend £20,000 on a fully accessible path to one of its East Kilbride stores after a mum highlighted her son’s plight.
Catherine Pettigrew from Lindsayfield contacted the manager of her local Morrisons store and suggested that a path from the end of Catacol Grove directly to the store would help her 16-year-old son Thomas and others with mobility issues or additional needs to get there.
However, a stunned Catherine never thought for a moment her suggestion would go straight to the top with the supermarket’s bosses signing off the path at a cost of approximately £20,000.
And when the store contacted South Lanarkshire Council, the local authority made sure planning permission was granted as quickly as possible.
A delighted Catherine told the News she hopes the path will give Thomas, who has a form of cerebral palsy, a visual impairment and Asperger’s syndrome, and others who live nearby, more freedom.
“To be honest I still can’t believe Morrisons firstly agreed to do it and, secondly, they are willing to spend all that money on doing it,” Catherine said.
“It’s just fantastic. I just had the thought about the path one day and it was more a stab in the dark than anything when I spoke to the store manager.
“When I then found out my idea had gone to the CEOs at Morrisons and they had approved the spend, I was just stunned.”
Catherine believes the investment will be a positive move for the whole community.
“It’s not just Thomas who will benefit from this,” she added.
“There are a high number of people of all ages with additional needs who live near us and at the moment they would need to negotiate two busy main roads to get to Morrisons on their own, meaning it’s just not possible.
“This means Thomas and others would never be fully independent and were effectively trapped at home.
“The path will change that and it will be made fully accessible for wheelchair users.
“Everyone I have told so far is over the moon with the news and it will benefit Morrisons too as more folk will be able to go to the store.”
Lindsayfield store manager Peter Kennedy said:“When Thomas’s mum came in to the store to ask if we could build a path, we listened and did everything we could to make it happen.
“We want to make sure that everyone can easily get to our store and we’re really happy that we’ve been able to help out.”
East Kilbride South councillor Archie Buchanan said:“Mrs Pettigrew should be commended for her initiative in approaching Morrisons asking if they would provide a footpath at this location.
“I was delighted to find the company had decided to fund the construction of this new footpath which will make it easier for some individuals in Catacol Grove who have various disabilities to access both their homes and Morrisons safely.”