Grants in action: Taking to the track with Speed of Sight
In September 2021, after being nominated by Swinton colleague, Allan Farrimond, ACT provided a £5,000 grant to charity, Speed of Sight.
Allan volunteers for Speed of Sight, sharing his mechanic skills to help look after the fleet of vehicles which enables the charity to provide driving experiences to people with visual impairments and disabilities.
The funding enabled the purchase of a top-of-the-range toolkit to look after the charity's cars. Not just any old cars, these provide driving experiences to people with visual impairments of disability – and founded by nine-time world record holder Mike Newman, who lost his own sight as a child.
A friend asked me if I would come along and help out at a charity which offers driving experiences for people who might otherwise struggle to drive a vehicle. I’m a qualified mechanic so they thought I might be able to help fix up some of the vehicles which were getting on a bit. Motorsports have always been a passion of mine and being able to support a charity in this way has been wonderful. When I help out at the track, I get to see the looks on people’s faces as they take part. You realise that you are helping them to do something that they will remember for the rest of their lives.
Allan Farrimond, Swinton
A Speed of Sight car ready to take people on the drive of a lifetime!