Disabled Woman Presented With New Focus By HM The Queen

A disabled Essex woman today received the keys to her new Ford Focus from HM The Queen, on a day to remember at Buckingham Palace.

65 year old Sylvia Elliott from Benfleet, Essex, received the keys to her car from Her Majesty, as part of the ongoing celebrations to mark the Silver Jubilee of the national motoring charity, Motability, of which HRH is the Chief Patron.

Sylvia has multiple sclerosis and first joined the Motability Scheme 18 years ago. This is her sixth Ford in succession. The pensioner, who is married with two grown- up daughters and a son is mad about gardening and says she is particularly fond of growing fuchsias.

MAGIC, Ford’s free telephone information service for disabled and mature drivers (tel 0800 240 241), selected Sylvia for the royal handover. "I had a fantastic time meeting The Queen and receiving my new Ford Focus," Sylvia commented. "I’d like to thank MAGIC for putting my name forward for this event, which I will remember with fondness for the rest of my life."

The managing director of Ford Motor Company Limited, Paul Thomas, said: "Like Motability, Ford is committed to helping people with disabilities, like Sylvia, to get mobile.

"We were a founding manufacturer of the Motability Scheme and have supplied nearly half a million Motability Scheme vehicles - the Ford Fiesta being the first car to be launched onto the Scheme in 1978.

"Three years ago, we took our commitment to this important group of motorists one stage further, by launching MAGIC. It is a free telephone information service for disabled and mature drivers and can be called by anyone in the UK, regardless of what make of car they drive. To date, more than 275,000 people have called MAGIC to request free motoring and mobility information, something we’re very proud of."

Since Motability’s inception 25 years ago, 1.5 million vehicles have been supplied to disabled people across the UK, providing them with personal independence and increased mobility.