An example to us all

Celebrity just doesn't float my boat. Sorry, but I can't get excited just because some silicon enhanced airhead manages to sleep with a film star or some testosterone filled footballer gets half a million quid for kicking a piece of leather. In my job I'm lucky to meet many people. And every now and then, usually when I least expect it, I get to meet a real inspiration.

Several years ago I met Simon Weston, the former Welsh Guardsman who was horrifically burned during the Falklands War. We (Ford) were involved in a charity event for the Soldiers, Sailors and Airforce Association at Romney in Kent, that Simon attended. Despite his own injuries this quiet, unassuming man made time for everybody and made everyone he spoke to feel special. I regarded it (and still do) as an honour to be involved, even if only peripherally, in the event.



More recently, last week I met Jane Sowerby (http://www.janesowerby.co.uk/). Jane is young, bubbly and a world ranked skier. She also happens to be paralysed from the waist down. Proving how fickle fate can be, a simple fall in 2003 put Jane in a wheelchair. Pure determination put her on skis. Jane is busy training for the 2010 Winter Paralympics but took time out to talk to people attending the Ford Enthusiasts Day at Brentwood.



Both Jane and Simon share a common thread. They have taken what life has thrown at them, accepted it and made the best of their lives. They have not wallowed in self-pity, they have not succumbed to fame-inducing arrogance, they have not engaged in semi-pornographic photoshoots in a desperate attempt to get on a front cover. They are, quite simply, shining examples of integrity and decency. Sadly, that doesn't sell many magazines so don't expect to see too much coverage of their unrelenting hard work.

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