ajbrooks, Author at Salford Giving

We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible achievements of John Galloway, co-founder of Speed of Sight, who recently received an Honorary Degree from the University of Salford in July 2024. This recognition is a testament to John’s relentless dedication to empowering individuals with disabilities, allowing them to experience the thrill of driving, through the charity he founded with Mike Newman in 2012.

Speed of Sight, inspired by Mike’s journey as a blind racing driver, has become a beacon of hope and joy for countless individuals who, due to medical reasons, will never be able to drive legally on public roads. With seven specially designed vehicles, including four racing cars and three all-terrain buggies, Speed of Sight offers exhilarating driving experiences nationwide, making a real difference in the lives of those they support.

“The University of Salford has been a great supporter helping with placements, volunteers, fundraising, and projects,” John said in his graduation speech, acknowledging the role the university has played in the charity’s success. This support, coupled with the dedication of numerous volunteers and corporate partners, has been instrumental in enabling Speed of Sight to continue its mission.

On the 12th of August, Speed of Sight hosted a track day at the Three Sisters Circuit, one of the UK’s most versatile race circuits. The event, sponsored by Simple Life, part of the Sigma Capital Group, saw participants, volunteers, and supporters come together to create an atmosphere of excitement, and joy.

A particular highlight was the incredible achievement of young fundraiser Hannah Bevan, who, with support from ESG Director Niamh Waldron, raised over £1,000 through a sponsored blindfold walk—far exceeding her initial target of £400. The day also featured fun activities organized by the fantastic charity Whizz Kidz, adding even more joy to the event

As John Galloway reflected, these experiences are about more than just driving; they are about accessing outdoor activities, promoting social interaction, and inclusion. This sentiment was echoed throughout the day, as repeat participants and new faces alike shared in the joy and excitement that Speed of Sight provides.

As we celebrate John’s well-deserved honorary degree, we also celebrate the impact of Speed of Sight—a charity that continues to change lives, one exciting drive at a time!

Since 2022, multi-national business software developers IRIS Software Group have supported University of Salford students through scholarships, engagement days, mentorship and career talks to help inspire and support them throughout their academic journey.

We were welcomed back this November to IRIS’ Manchester office for another Engagement Day for our second-year students studying Computer Science and Software Engineering. During the Engagement Day our students received a tour of IRIS’ cutting-edge workspace, listened to talks from software engineers, accountancy whizzes and recruiters. This was crucial learning for our students to help them better understand what a career in software engineering can look like as well as top tips to succeeding in interviews, they even took part in a head-to-head paper airplane manufacturing competition!

After learning about a new way to develop coding, one of our students said: ‘Hands down, the most practical and coolest thing I’ve seen… It’s something I will absolutely try to put into practice’. They also found a session on agile working particularly useful, saying, ‘Going over agile techniques will help with my studies, we are starting a hack camp this week, the presentation was very insightful as to how we should plan our time effectively’.

Similarly, another student noted how the agile working session aligned with their own studies and knowledge helping them to understand how agile working functions in a workplace: ‘I had a basic grasp of Agile methodology; however, the engagement day was a real eye opener into how exactly Agile would be applied in a real organization’s structure’.

The industry insight and advice delivered by IRIS was invaluable and massively appreciated by our students, with one student saying the most important thing they learned on the day ‘would be researching organizations to ask insightful questions about structure and behaviour to prove my interest in more than just the role’.

We would like to thank IRIS for hosting our students and staff at their Manchester office and delivering an insightful and valuable peek into the lives of software engineers. Our students can now more confidently apply themselves to their work and prepare them for their work in industry.