After a busy year helping with the Covid Helpline and Vaccination Clinics in Andover and Romsey, we offered Unity the opportunity to thank a small team of dedicated volunteers with a driving experience day here at Thruxton.

Unity’s loyal and hard-working team of volunteers have worked tirelessly at the Vaccination Clinics in Andover and Romsey, sometimes 7 days a week, as well as helping residents with prescriptions, shopping and other essential errands.

The Unity team handpicked four volunteers who have gone above and beyond.

The volunteers first had some time on track with a Thruxton race instructor to learn the racing lines and become familiar with the circuit layout. Then it was time to get behind the wheel and drive a Porsche Cayman around Thruxton - the fastest circuit in the UK. Each volunteer then had the option to choose which car to drive next; either the Ford Mustang, Jaguar F-TYPE SVR or a Ferrari 458 Spider.

They were then given the opportunity to drive a single-seat Race Car, which they all accepted very excitedly.

One lucky volunteer received the ultimate surprise and was lucky enough to have three highspeed, sideways laps with former F1 driver and Top Gear presenter Tiff Needell in the brand new BMW M4!

The four volunteers Julian Pease, Tim Edmonds, Sally Baker and Steve Langdon all had a fantastic time. Steve commented, “This has been absolutely incredible, I did not volunteer for this but I’ve had a phenomenal day. I’m really blown away”.

Julian who received the extra laps with Tiff exclaimed “I did not imagine I would be doing all of this, it’s incredible and I’m so very lucky”. Sally who has been a Supervisor at Andover clinics told us “This has been a fabulous day, it is so well organised and the team at Thruxton have really looked after us all incredibly”.

Find out more about the work Unity do, on their website

We want to hear from you

Do you know a key worker, volunteer or organisation who has made a difference throughout the pandemic? We're dedicating a number of spaces on our driving experience days to help say thank you. Send us a message and tell us who and why you think deserves an extra special treat.