Caleb, who lives in South Wales, is a driver for Team BRIT, the world’s only competitive team of all-disabled racing drivers. On Saturday 4th May, the team came together with sponsors and supporters to raise funds and awareness for the charity, which trains dogs to alert Deaf people to important and life-saving sounds they would otherwise miss.
The team were competing at Silverstone in the Britcar Endurance Championship and used the opportunity to promote the charity, ably assisted by Zach Allen and his hearing dog Echo, and charity representatives Jo Wengler and Vicky Ryan.
Caleb was competing in a McLaren alongside his teammate Noah Cosby, and four other drivers competed in a second McLaren and a BMW M240i. Caleb and Noah finished 4th in their class.
More than 120 guests attended to enjoy race hospitality and kindly donated to the team’s fundraising efforts through donations and purchases of the team’s old tyres, which can be upcycled into coffee tables and planters. Almost £1200 was raised and the team is continuing to raise funds for the charity throughout May.
Caleb was diagnosed as Deaf at the age of two and has worn cochlear implants since he was 4. He began karting when he was six and raced in the Junior Saloon Car Championship before joining Team BRIT last year. The team has developed a technical solution which enables Caleb to wear his cochlear implants under his race helmet and to communicate with the pit crew.
Team BRIT principal Mike Scudamore said: “It was a real pleasure to welcome Echo and Zach from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People to our race at Silverstone. Caleb’s dad, Ian, introduced us to the charity and was keen for us to help them. We were immediately keen to support this, with the charity and everything it does having a special place in the hearts of Caleb and his family.
“It was no surprise that our sponsors and guests were super keen to help, and we’re delighted to have raised so much money for the charity in just one day. We’ll continue with our fundraising efforts throughout May and hope this goes a small way to helping the charity deliver its fantastic work.”
Vicky Ryan, Community Fundraising Manager at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, said: “We were honoured to be invited to Silverstone to celebrate the incredible achievement of Caleb and his teammates at the Endurance Championships. It was a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of our work among Team BRIT’s sponsors and supporters.
“We’re so grateful to Team BRIT for choosing us as their charity of the month and for raising such an impressive amount in just one day. These vital funds will help us train more hearing dog puppies who will go on to change the lives of deaf people by giving them more independence, confidence, and connection to the world around them.”