A CHIPPENHAM teenager left paralysed by a tumour has launched a charity in the hope of inspiring other people with mobility issues and offering them the chance to get behind the wheel of a racing car.

Ben Conolly was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in October 2013 and left paralysed from the chest down after a routine procedure found a tumour pressing down on his spinal cord.

The teenager, who also underwent a bone marrow transplant earlier this year, has now launched charity Go Inspire which allows people with mobility issues to drive a hand-controlled race car.

“I wanted to create the charity to show you don’t have to give up in life as soon as you’re paralysed, you can still go out and have fun,” said Ben, a former pupil at Sheldon School.

“We’re building up the cars and our fleet because we want to have a different range of cars for people with disabilities, it doesn’t just have to be someone who is paralysed, it can be people with MS.

“I’ve wanted to launch this charity since I found out I was paralysed, I wanted to know if I could do all the things I wanted to do before it happened.”

Launched on Monday at the Castle Combe Circuit, Ben and other people with mobility issues had the chance to take to the track in the modified Mazda MX2.

They also had the opportunity to jump in a Caterham alongside professional racing driver and patron of the charity, Dino Zamparelli, and be driven around the track.

“If you speak to these guys you can hear the passion for speed, cars and racing. For me it’s inspiring,” said Zamparelli.

As well as continuing to grow the charity Ben also hopes to start a career as a drift driver having visited America and spoken with Rob Parsons, a Canadian paraplegic drifter.

The teenager hopes to enter the Drift Cup UK next year in a Nissan S13 using hand-controls.

Ben’s dad, Sam, said: “I think we will get enough people wanting to take part. It’s about going out and having fun. It’s not a disability as such, yes it is but they do exactly the same and much more as able-bodied people.”

Ben recently took part in CLIC Sargent’s flying day for kids with cancer and had the chance to fly a four-seater Tobago plane and a World War One Tiger Moth.