Easyjet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou last teamed up with the Leonard Cheshire charity to launch the disabled entrepreneur of the year award.

The scheme is also being promoted by Gareth Almond, Britain's only fully qualified amputee driving instructor and disabled motor sport champion, whose Bulldog Spirit driving school in Lancashire specialises in teaching disabled motorists. He was forced to retire from the police after an accident led to the loss of his right arm.

Another successful entrepreneur supporting the award is Maria Zedda, who is profoundly deaf and runs a disability equality training and consultancy firm, Wideaware.

Stelios presented the first winner with a £50,000 cheque at a ceremony in November. He says: 'I am very passionate about encouraging an enterprising spirit throughout British culture. Helping remove the barriers disabled people face to being in business is an important part of this. That is why I am keen to establish this new award, which will give disabled people an opportunity to show the world what they are able to do rather than have them negatively judged by their disability.'

Amar Latif of Traveleyes, a tour operator for the visually impaired,received The Stelios Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year Award in November last year.

Latif established the business in 2005 with the aim of helping blind people experience world travel. Sighted travellers join the visually impaired on trips to destinations including Cuba, Canada, Italy and Spain, acting as their 'eyes' by describing their surroundings.


Latif, a Scotsman now based in Leeds, has only five percent of his sight remaining. He said: “It's a great honour to have won this fantastic award and to have had Traveleyes recognised in this way.

“The £50,000 will be used to expand Traveleyes into a fully international service. This will enable us to serve our blind and sighted travellers around the world.

"I set up Traveleyes as from an early age I always suspected there was a stunningly beautiful world waiting to be explored. Traveleyes holidays offer greater social, sensory and cultural variety and enhanced personal fulfilment. For the visually impaired traveller, Traveleyes provides a new sense of independence. For the sighted traveller it's a holiday that provides an enhanced sense of purpose.”

Activites offered by Traveleyes include sky diving, hiking, kayaking, and cookery courses. Latif is working on a 'walking with lions' trip for 2008. Click below to see Stelios talking about disability and entrepreneurship.

stelios_on_disability

The Spring 2008 issue of the BDFA magazine is being edited right now and will drop through your letterbox just after Christmas. It promises to be the biggest and best yet, and to celebrate we are relaunching the magazine with a new name - Aerobility. If you have changed your address recently remember to let us know to make sure you get your very own copy.

Tim Ellison and Louise Scotter (pictured with John McLelland, Programme Executive - Trent 1000, of Rolls-Royce), visited Rolls-Royce at Derby last week to receive a generous donation of £10,000. Many thanks to Rolls-Royce for their continued and generous support.

The Aviators Ball took place on 24th November, at the Amadeus Centre in London. It was a fantastic celebration of flight and achievement - a dazzling aviation showcase, with all proceeds going to the BDFA.

After drinks, canapés, and a brief introduction by Mike Miller-Smith, guests taking their seats for the gourmet four course meal were delighted to find that radio controlled biplanes and helicopters were tantalisingly available on their tables - soon the high, enchantingly lit room was alive with diving and circling aircraft, with more than one spectacular ditching… Waiter! There’s a plane in my soup!

Breitling capped waiting staff and roving “close” magicians had to run the entertaining aerial gauntlet well into the meal before most of the exhausted aircraft went out of commission.

Miles Hilton Barber, blind aviator and adventurer, gave a gripping and inspiring presentation of some of his many unlikely and unusual exploits – from chancing his luck with Great White sharks, to flying to Australia by microlight – which had the room alternately spellbound, and shaking with laughter.

Fundraising activities included the “sign a note” draw for a trip and meal on the Orient Express British Pullman. Mark Greenfield of Ultimate High enthusiastically auctioned his own fabulous prize, of an Ultimate High Top Gun Experience. BDFA member and DHL pilot Martin Bethell had to follow that, auctioning a 757 simulator session kindly donated by DHL.

As well as being a captivating speaker, Richard Noble proved to be an impressive auctioneer, with some fabulous prizes as ammunition – including the amazing last minute ‘on the night’ offer of an L39 jet fighter flight from Franz La Rosee of Breitling UK (won after stiff competition by Tim Ellison, BDFA co-founder!).

The band “4AM” were brilliant, keeping the tempo going for some phenomenal dancing, and the bar well stocked - including an ice sculpture of the BDFA logo, doubling as a Vodka luge.

The evening raised an amazing £16,000 for the BDFA, an enormous contribution to what we do best - getting the disabled and profoundly ill into the air to share the special experience of flight.

Watch this space for news of the 2008 event.