People living with a sensory impairment will have the opportunity to experience getting behind the wheel in a special driving event being organised by North East Sensory Services (NESS).
The Moray Skid Car Experience day, which is being hosted by the Moray Academy of Transport Training, will take place on 29 August 2015 at Milltown Airfield between 10am and 4pm and promises to be a family fun filled day.
The event will let people living with blindness, partial sight or deafness experience what it is like to get behind the wheel and drive a car. A fully licensed and experienced skid car driver will accompany anyone who is taking part. However, places are limited, so anyone interested in taking part should register as soon as possible at moray@nesensoryservices.org.
There will be a host of attractions at the event, including a bouncy castle for the kids and a bucking bronco feature. A local line dancing group will help swing things into action with various performances on the day. Elgin Fire Brigade will also be there, and crew will perform a demonstration of how to cut a person from a vehicle after a road accident.
Meanwhile, people are being invited to bring along their vintage trucks, cars or tractors on the day to be in with a chance of winning a prize.
The event, which will help raise funds for NESS, will give blind and deaf service users and members of the public an opportunity to experience a skid car on a race track, accompanied by a fully licensed driver.
NESS fundraising assistant Bruce Cruickshank, who is helping organise the event, worked as a digger driver before he lost his sight due to having type 1 diabetes in 2010.
He said: “For me, not being able to drive was a particularly hard blow when I lost my sight. It was a big adjustment as driving used to be such a big part of my life.
“That’s why I’m really keen to host the skid car day, as it lets people who would not normally be able to drive experience that feeling of freedom when you get behind the wheel.
“It can be quite an emotional experience to get in the car after losing the ability to be able to drive due to sight loss, and that is why this event is so important, as it lets people drive again, but in a safe and controlled environment.
“There is only a limited number of places on the day, so I would encourage anyone who fancies giving driving a go, to get in touch asap.”
Prices on the day for a drive in the skid car will be £15 for people who have a sensory impairment and £25 for non sensory impaired people. There is an entry fee of £5 for anyone who wishes to bring along vintage vehicles, and registration beforehand is necessary. To register, please contact moray@nesensoryservices.org or call 0845 27 12345
NESS provides social work and rehabilitation services for visually and/or hearing impaired people as well as a young people’s sensory service; Connect, Inform and Support (CIS) for people aged 65 and over; an assistive technology service;, interpretation services, transcription services and clubs and groups for blind and deaf in the area. There is also an in-house technology room and audio library located in Elizabeth House, Elgin.
For more information, or to sign up, please contact moray@nesensoryservices.org or call 0845 27 12345 and ask for Bruce Cruickshank.