UK Bailiffs — Support Partner Reflection
Speed of Sight is an amazing story which has not been shouting
After attending a Speed of Sight track day, my honest opinion is that this is not just a charity providing driving experiences. It is a charity creating moments of freedom, confidence, dignity and family memory for people who may never have expected to feel that again.
This is not written as criticism. It is written because, in my opinion, Mike Newman BEM, John Galloway and Speed of Sight have one of the strongest charity stories I have ever seen.
I do not say this lightly: Speed of Sight is the most important event and charity I have ever wanted to be involved in. That is why I want our company to help in a way that is useful, respectful and practical.
Do not sponsor an event. Sponsor the moment someone realises their life is still bigger than their disability.
Mike Newman BEM
The story people remember.Track days
The experience that makes it real.Participants
The impact sponsors should see.Supporters
The people who can help it grow.Why this matters personally
My father was blind and developed dementia towards the end of his life. We had links around us through Blind Veterans UK, dementia support and the Royal Signals Association, yet I had never heard of Speed of Sight.
That is frustrating because this could have created an amazing memory for my dad and for us as a family. My frustration is not that I did not know about Speed of Sight as a business owner. It is that I did not know about it as the son of someone who could have benefited from it.
The frustration is not criticism. It is because, in my opinion, this should be bigger.
Our honest view, as supporters
In our opinion, Speed of Sight already has the raw ingredients many charities would struggle for years to build: a remarkable founder story, a clear emotional outcome, strong visual content, motorsport appeal, sponsor potential and genuine participant transformation.
We fully accept that we are looking at this from the outside. We do not know every operational pressure, funding challenge or internal limitation. These are simply our observations as people who attended, were deeply moved by the experience, and believe the charity deserves to be seen by far more people.
In our opinion, Mike is the story
Mike Newman BEM should sit at the heart of the public and sponsor-facing story. Blind from birth, a record-breaking speed driver across land, water and air, and recognised in the 2023 New Year Honours, Mike represents the message that disability does not define ability.
In our opinion, the track days are the medium
The cars, circuits, adapted controls, volunteers and event structure are vital. They make the experience possible. They are the way Speed of Sight delivers something far bigger than a day at a track.
In our opinion, the participant response is the product
The real product is the moment someone feels freedom, control and possibility again. The person who thought they would never drive. The family who gets a memory they never expected. That is the gold dust.
A supporter’s commercial observation
In our opinion, testimonials create likes, but clearly packaged impact creates income. The participant transformation should sit at the centre of sponsor conversations, public messaging and supporter campaigns.
Where we believe Speed of Sight could be
From the outside looking in, Speed of Sight appears to raise in the region of £200,000 to £220,000 annually. That is meaningful, but in our opinion it should not be the ceiling.
£1m +
With Mike’s backstory, the emotional strength of the participant experience, the family memory angle, disability and veterans networks, and the appeal to automotive and business sponsors, we believe Speed of Sight should be capable of reaching at least £1 million in annual revenue, and potentially more over time.
In our opinion, revenue cannot grow properly unless more people know the charity exists. Visibility is the first barrier.
Suggested areas of focus
These are offered as supporter observations, not criticism. Our view is that clearer positioning could help more people understand, share and support the work Speed of Sight is already doing.
Put Mike at the centre of the story
In our opinion, Mike’s life, achievements, BEM recognition and mission should lead the public and sponsor message. He gives Speed of Sight something few charities have: a founder story that proves the charity’s message before anyone has even attended an event.
Turn sponsor pages into impact pages
In our opinion, sponsor pages should do more than display logos or company information. They should explain why the sponsor supports Speed of Sight, what their support made possible, and what impact they can proudly share.
A sponsor page should not be a wall of logos. It should be a wall of impact.
Build around participant stories
In our opinion, the strongest content is likely to come from participants and families: the person who thought they would never drive again, the family who saw confidence return, or the carer who saw someone they love experience a new kind of freedom.
Use LinkedIn as a sponsor engine
In our opinion, LinkedIn is probably the right main platform for sponsor growth because business owners, directors, CSR and ESG contacts, HR leaders, councils, solicitors, commercial firms and local business networks are already there.
Own the audience
In our opinion, a monthly newsletter could help Speed of Sight build an audience it controls, rather than relying only on social media. A possible title could be Moments of Freedom.
Create sponsor-ready stories
Sponsors need stories they can proudly share with their staff, clients and networks. Each sponsored experience could create a simple, human impact story that helps sponsors feel connected to the outcome.
How UK Bailiffs may be able to help
UK Bailiffs does not need Speed of Sight to promote us. Our interest is in using our platform, contacts and supporter position to help more people discover Speed of Sight.
Awareness through our website
We have created a dedicated page about Mike Newman and Speed of Sight, deliberately putting Mike at the front of the story because, in our opinion, he is the strongest public hook.LinkedIn and business visibility
We can share the story with our audience and help position Speed of Sight in front of business owners, property professionals, councils, solicitors, commercial contacts and potential sponsors.Supporter-page model
We can help demonstrate what a proper supporter page could look like: not simply a logo, but a clear explanation of why the sponsor supports Speed of Sight and what impact they want to help create.Motorsport and sponsorship perspective
Through our own sponsorship activity, including junior karting, we understand the sponsor side of the conversation and may be able to help shape a more compelling sponsor offer.Introductions where appropriate
We may be able to introduce Speed of Sight to relevant contacts where there is a natural fit, without overselling or forcing conversations that are not right.Constructive external perspective
We can offer an honest supporter’s view: what landed emotionally, what appears underused, and how the story may look to a potential sponsor or business supporter seeing it for the first time.Areas we would like to understand better
Rather than arriving with fixed answers, we would like to understand where John and the Speed of Sight team feel support would be most useful.
Current priorities
What would make the biggest difference over the next 6 to 12 months: awareness, sponsorship, referrals, vehicles, venues, volunteers, administration or follow-up?
Sponsorship support
Where would outside support be most useful with sponsors: finding them, retaining them, upgrading them or giving them stronger impact stories to share?
Referral pathways
Are there groups, charities, veterans networks, disability organisations or care-related contacts where more awareness could lead to more people benefiting from Speed of Sight?
Supporter pages
Would it help if more supporters created proper impact-led pages explaining why they support Speed of Sight and what they hope their support helps achieve?
UK Bailiffs page
Would Speed of Sight be comfortable with UK Bailiffs publicly promoting the supporter page we have created, subject to any wording or positioning they would prefer?
Practical next step
What would be the most useful first step after this meeting: a revised supporter page, a LinkedIn post, a sponsor introduction, a short campaign idea or a follow-up discussion?
Our suggested direction
In our opinion, the opportunity is not to reinvent Speed of Sight. The opportunity is to make the strongest parts easier to understand, easier to share and easier to fund.
Public message
Mike Newman’s story should lead: blind from birth, record-breaking achievements, British Empire Medal, and a mission to show that life remains bigger than disability.
Sponsor message
Sponsors should not be asked to fund a day at a track. They should be invited to fund a moment of freedom, confidence and memory for someone who may never have expected it.
Referral message
Families, carers, veterans groups, disability charities and support networks need to know this exists before the chance for that memory has passed.
Growth message
In our opinion, a charity with this story should not be hidden. With better visibility and clearer sponsor impact, £1 million-plus annual revenue should be a realistic ambition.
