John Galloway, co-founder of Bolton-based charity, Speed Of Sight, has been made an Honorary Fellow, by the University of Salford, for his charity work

Speed Of Sight hosts driving experiences for children and adults with disabilities.

These events, held nationwide, allow a disabled child or adult a chance to forget, if only for a little while, that they have a disability.

The charity was founded more than 10 years ago by blind race car driver and multiple World Record holder, Mike Newman and his co-founder, and now Honorary Fellow, John.

The vehicles – four racing cars and three all-terrain buggies – named after Mike’s guide dogs, are specially designed with dual controls and twin steering wheels and the buggies are equipped with hand controls.

The charity has now been hosting track days for 12 years, in which time it has changed hundreds of lives during the nearly 100 track days it has put on so far.

John said: “When I was told about this honorary degree, I couldn’t quite believe it. I left school without any qualifications, so university was never on the cards for me, but the University of Salford has been kind enough to award me with this very high honour.

“When Mike and I started Speed Of Sight, it wasn’t for money or recognition, it was to give people who weren’t able to experience the fun of driving the chance to race around a track and forget for 10 minutes that they had a disability that limited them in this specific way. That’s why Mike and I got into this crazy adventure, it was to help other people and bring joy into their lives, seeing the smiles on their faces is rewarding enough, but now I am an Honorary Fellow and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it.

“We’ve run Speed Of Sight for 12 years now, and the charity only continues to grow. We’ve been given so many fantastic opportunities to host track days at circuits, such as Silverstone, Thruxton, Castle Combe Circuit, Llandow, Three Sisters and many more. We’ve even been to the Isle of Man to host a track day there and that seemed to have the support of the entire island, so we’ve had some fantastic times, especially in the last few years.

“To think this charity began with driving days hosted in car parks because race circuits were nervous about letting us use their facilities.

"But over the years, we’ve built some amazing relationships with circuits that we return to each year and more and more people understand how our track days work and how they change people’s lives. Speed Of Sight is a family that supports each other and I’m honoured by the University of Salford’s generosity and recognition.”