Since the beginning of 2017, I have been fortunate to be working with the fantastic team of staff, volunteers and guide pups at Bolton’s Speed of Sight charity.  In my primary role as their ghostwriter for their forthcoming book, I work directly with the charity’s Co-founder & Commercial Director, John Galloway, and the 8-times World Record holder as ‘fastest blind man on the planet’ (land, sea and air), Mike Newman.

Mike is an incredibly modest, quiet and humble man, despite some of the most mind-boggling life and career achievements possible residing in his armoury.  When his good friend and Speed of Sight co-founder, John Galloway, called me in late last year to first discuss writing a book about the man himself, Mike was visibly and vocally against the idea.  He really wasn’t comfortable in producing a traditional ‘autobiography’, and so after taking some quality time together to see how everything may best work to get this project off the ground, the three of us decided that Mike’s story would be a fantastic vehicle to drive forward his true passion – his charity.  As a result, Speed of Sight will be a key feature their forthcoming book.

Speed of Sight is a unique charity, delivering life-changing driving experiences for people with a wide range of disabilities.  The charity enables such people to take part in an exhilarating, sensory and interactive activity that they would never have thought possible; an experience that so many of us take for granted – driving a car.

This is all an undoubted mentally and physically stimulating experience for the participants, so I needed to get myself down to one of the charity’s regular events to scope things out for myself.  Sadly, due to the fact that I’m significantly pregnant at this time, I wasn’t permitted to take part in a driving activity myself, which would have seen me blindfolded as part of the task.  This is probably a good thing, as I’m a terrible driver even when fully sighted!  I did, however, have the opportunity to take plenty of time to get to know the Speed of Sight volunteers a little better during the event, and to witness them in action as they gave a group of people – aged across a 50-year age phase and with a range of different disabilities and difficulties – the opportunity to get out and about on a challenging off-road dirt-track behind the dual controls of a specially adapted Speed of Sight buggy.

Whenever I visit Mike’s home to sit down to write with him and John, I’m always made to feel so welcome by the family (especially his amazing wife Karen and their guide pups, Baxter and Stanton), and my involvement out at yesterday’s event, hosted at the beautiful Reaseheath College in a very hot and sunny rural Cheshire, was no different.  I was welcomed with open arms, thus making gathering any insight or material for the book both easy and natural.  It was, of course, also incredibly enjoyable to meet the day’s participants… the visible lease of life and boost to their confidence and self-esteem witnessed as they emerged – covered in mud – from their buggy following their trip around the track with advanced driving instructor and charity legend, Sue Papworth, was truly humbling.  Additionally, seeing the look of emotion and sheer adoration on the faces of their families as such wonderful, and previously unthinkable, memories were created for their loved ones was an absolute joy.

I thought that taking time out at a Speed of Sight event would give me great insight for the forthcoming book about Mike’s achievements and his passion for this life-changing charity.  It succeeded in doing this, but, more importantly, the experience and the interaction with the people involved allowed me to really feel a part of this amazing story, rather than just someone on the outside writing about a given topic or idea.  As a ghostwriter, relationships with my clients are absolutely everything, and I really do feel like part of the family at Speed of Sight.

In short, Speed of Sight make the impossible, possible – and it’s my job through ghostwriting this book to ensure that this wonderful legacy lives on in print.

You can visit the charity’s website here: http://www.speedofsight.org