RIAT 2006 Press Release
SCHOLARSHIP JOY FOR JULY 7 BOMB VICTIM
A woman who lost both her legs in the July 7 bomb attacks in London last year said she was “absolutely elated” to learn she's been given the opportunity to learn to fly.
Martine Wright, 33, from Barnet, north London, lost both her legs in the Aldgate tube blast when a suicide bomber exploded his backpack bomb 3ft from where she was sitting.
Determined to rebuild her life after almost a year's rehabilitation, she applied for a scholarship from the Flying Scholarships for the Disabled (FSD) charity, based in Gloucestershire. The charity, which was set up by the Royal International Air Tattoo in 1983 in memory of World War Two double amputee flying ace Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader, is committed to helping disabled people discover their true potential through the mental and physical challenge of learning to fly a light aircraft.
Martine, who recently underwent a three-day assessment at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire, has been told she has been awarded one of the prized scholarships and will start her six-weeks' training in South Africa in August.
“It was amazing when I heard the news,” said Martine. “I can't believe I've won a scholarship. The FSD board must have the hardest job in the world deciding who should get them.
“I've only just got out of hospital so to hear the news that I'm going away for six weeks to achieve something on my own is fantastic. I'm looking forward to learning to fly and am determined to make something of it. Perhaps I'll become a fully qualified pilot and help other disabled people.”
FSD Director Sue Whitby said: “Martine has come a long way since that terrible day and we hope the scholarship will greatly encourage her in her quest to bring some normality back into her life.”
Martine will undertake a residential 40-hour flight training course at the 43rd School of Flying in Port Alfred, South Africa. The scholarship includes flights to and from South Africa, all flight training and related ground school, as well as accommodation and meals.
The aim of the Flying Scholarships for the Disabled is to help the disabled recipients to regain confidence and self-esteem. The charity, which is financed through sponsors, charitable trusts, public donations and local fundraising, has received great support in the past from the late King Hussein of Jordan as Patron, a role which his widow, Queen Noor now fulfils. Other supporters include actor Sir David Jason who, in 2005, made a televised appeal on behalf of the charity.
For further information on Flying Scholarships for the Disabled, visit
www.toreachforthesky.org.uk or call 0870 800 1942.