Fear for disabled off-road scheme

The Woodstar gives disabled people a taste of off-road driving

The future of a charity which runs off-road driving courses for disabled people in Snowdonia is under threat after funding dried up.

X-treme Disabled Motorsport (XDM) has received lottery grants for five years but has now been turned down.

Its insurance bills alone have risen from £900 to £5,500 in three years and it is looking for new sponsors.

Ron Sayadian, of XDM's founder Cyclone Mobility & Fitness, said: "Premiums are just destroying us."

XDM has operated from its 400-acre site near Cerrigydrudion in north Wales between March and November every year since 2000.

I can't tell you what a liberating experience driving the Woodstar has been for me over the years. Phil Hughes

It offers weekend-long courses for disabled people to learn how to drive a powerful quad bike-style vehicle called a Woodstar, which has been specially designed to meet their needs.

The Woodstar differs from a traditional quad bike in that the drivers sit inside it not astride it, and a special cushioned seat means they can concentrate fully on their driving rather than their balancing.

Special adaptations mean drivers unable to use their arms can operate the vehicle with just their head and mouth.

One of the people to benefit from XDM's courses is computer engineer Phil Hughes, 35, from Bangor.

The 35-year-old, who lost his mobility in a fall in 2002, said: "I think it would be a terrible shame if the centre had to close.

"I can't tell you what a liberating experience driving the Woodstar has been for me over the years.

"I've always enjoyed myself tremendously each time I've been, and I'm sad to think that more disabled people like me won't be able to experience the thrill of driving these amazing vehicles."

XDM's annual income stands at about £3,500 but the operation costs more than £50,000 to run.

Drivers take the Woodstar through scenic Snowdonia

"Obviously there is a huge discrepancy in these figures and shows how much we have to rely on funding," said Mr Sayadian.

"Insurance premiums have gone through the roof because of the litigious state of society.

"Premiums are destroying us and companies aren't signing up to support us."

XDM founder Stuart Dunne, himself in a wheelchair following road accident, said: "The situation is pretty desperate.

"I'm afraid we just can't afford to keep the courses going without additional help from companies or individuals wishing to sponsor us.

"The cost of insuring disabled people to drive the vehicles alone is prohibitively expensive, and it won't be possible to maintain things as they are.

"XDM is a not-for-profit organisation, so we have to rely on course fees, donations, company sponsorship, and loans of support vehicles from motor manufacturers to keep the programme going," he added.

"The amount of support we've received to date is not even sufficient to run a radically reduced service."