THE chairman of a disability charity drove into Wellington to say thank you and good bye to old friends in a 55-year-old car he taught his son to drive in.

Gordon Ilett, who chairs SeeAbility, which was established in 1799, was at the wheel of his beloved Morris Minor in the town last Thursday (September 7) on his nostalgic journey.

Mr Illett hit on the idea of a 1,000-mile tour taking in SeeAbility locations across southern England to mark the end of his term in the chair.

The charity supports people with learning disabilities and autism who may also have sight loss.

“I want to visit as many of the people we support as possible to thank them and the staff teams for making SeeAbility such a great charity,” said Mr Ilett during his stop off in Wellington.

“In 15 years as a trustee I have met people we support who have become so much more confident and independent - in some cases these have been amazing transformations.”

He added: “The organisation has doubled in size in that time and has a significant impact - our special schools eye care programme reaches 3,000 children for example.”

Mr Ilett said he originally bought his Morris Minor convertible, which he has named Moggie, to help his son learn to drive in.

He added: “He has moved on to something newer and faster.

“Now I get to drive Moggie.”

On his tour, he and Moggie have visited SeeAbility homes in Surrey, Kent, Hampshire and the West Country.

Mr Ilett added: “People may not know that SeeAbility works across southern England, and we have all sorts of opportunities to work, volunteer or fundraise for us. Check out www.seeability.org to find out more.”

If you would like to support Mr Ilett's fundraising efforts for SeeAbility, visit the just giving fundraising page.

The original target of raising £1,500 has already been reached, with £2,270 in the kitty, but any further donations will be welcomed by the charity.

To support his effort, visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/gordonilett1000miles