A WOMAN who never thought she would drive again after losing most of her sight has been given the chance to drive a supercar.

Christine Finlay, from Poole, got behind the wheel of a Lamborghini as part of a project to raise awareness of macular disease.

The national sight loss charity, the Macular Society, hosted a day for visually impaired people as part of Macular Week which ran from June 27-July 3.

It had been more than a year since the 69-year-old had got into the driving seat of a car. But she put herself forward for the day, was selected as one of the lucky participants and given freedom of the track in North Oxfordshire.

With the help of an instructor and the car's dual controls, Ms Finlay was able to whizz around the circuit with ease, despite losing her central vision.

She had been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration in 2008 and said one of the things about everyday life she missed since losing her sight was driving.

“It was absolutely fantastic and literally breath-taking," she said. "I signed up to take part because I miss driving. This was something which had come off my bucket list, until today, because I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do it.

She added: “I didn’t realise you could do things like this if you’re blind, you think everything has gone and that’s the end.”

Her condition is the most common cause of sight loss in the UK, affecting more than 600,000 people, and more people are becoming affected as the population ages.

Macular degeneration causes a loss of central vision and people at the advanced stage cannot read, drive or recognise faces. Half of all people in the UK registered as sight-impaired or severely sight-impaired have macular degeneration.

The Macular Society is the national charity for anyone affected by central vision loss, providing free information and support to improve lives. The society also funds research in a bid to find a cure for the condition.

For more information about the society visit macularsociety.org.