Brave teenager gets behind the wheel as airport hosts charity fundraising event.

Brave teenager Harry Vincent joined fellow blind people when he got behind the wheel during a charity fundraising event at Cotswold Airport.

Guide Dogs for the Blind arranged the ‘blind drive’ event, which gave people the chance to take a car for a spin under the guidance of a driving instructor.

The event was staged in conjunction with BSM and it is anticipated that up to £15,000 was raised through participants gaining sponsorship and paying a registration fee.

Harry, 14, who comes from Swindon, was diagnosed with a brain tumour as a baby and has been blind since he was two months old.

He said the opportunity to drive a car was a real treat.

He said: “I know the basics of driving and it really excites me.

“I’ve done this before and it was quite daunting the first time, but when I did it, I felt absolutely fantastic

“It’s just the thrill of being behind the wheel.”

A course was set out at the airport, in Kemble, Glos, earlier this month (June 6), including bends, turns and straights.

Participants, which also included sighted people wearing blindfolds, were given directions by BSM instructors, and the event attracted participants from throughout the Midlands, Wales and West region.

Alan Fletcher, 62, who lives in Swindon but comes from Cirencester, had driven all his life but was registered blind in 2005.

The former BMW engineering manager, who is the chairman of the Swindon branch of Guide Dogs for the Blind, said: “It’s great to come along and get behind the wheel of a car again. It’s really uplifting.

“I get in the car and it all comes back to me – the only difference is I can’t see what I’m doing.

“The instructors explain to you how to drive; they tell you to go slightly to the left or to the right. The cars are dual controlled.

“It’s great in that it gives people the thrill of being able to drive.”

The charity’s senior district fundraiser Stuart Waters said: “It gives those taking part a real buzz and some of them get up to speeds of 70mph.

“We’re quite fortunate at the airport because there’s lots of space and it’s central for those taking part.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for people to drive.”

David Young from Kemble Flying Club, which is based at Cotswold Airport, was also on hand to offer a flight in a microlight as a prize for the person who raised the most sponsorship.