Changing lives from the ground up

July 18, 2016

Injured, sick and wounded Service personnel are finding a new direction in life thanks to two charities:

Mission Motor Sport and Flying for Freedom.

Mission Motor Sport have for many years supported the rehabilitation of Servicemen and women by training them to race, become engineers and supporting them in finding placements with major manufacturers thereby preparing them for a potential new career path in the £80 billion motor industry.

Lionel O’Connor, from the 2nd Battalion of The Royal Anglian Regiment who lost his leg in an improvised explosive device attack 10 years ago is just one soldier whose life is back on track thanks to the programme and who is now teaching others the skills he has learned.

He said: “Seeing others come in and helping them progress, that’s what it’s all about for me.”

Flying For Freedom are also helping Armed Services personnel lives reach new heights by taking Service men and women for flights across the country in microlight aircraft and giving taster flights to many, stopping off en route at rehabilitation centres to spread the word.

Some of these amateur airmen have become pilots themselves and recently a group of them even completed a round trip of Britain in nine days flying 2,000 miles, a feat which most able bodied pilots would struggle to achieve.