A WEST Oxfordshire cancer patient is still able to get out and about, and even drive to work with his wheelchair in the boot.

Bill King says it is all thanks to the Motability scheme, which helps people like him, who otherwise would not be able to afford their own adapted vehicle.

On Friday, Mr King was welcomed by Witney MP and Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, a senior patron of the scheme, when he arrived to pick up a converted Ford Focus C-Max automatic from Witney dealers Kernahan.

He is now 62, and has been undergoing treatment for the past 12 years at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, for multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that affects the bone marrow. He also has a damaged lung, and his bones have become brittle, resulting in a fractured breastbone and a crushed vertebra.

Despite his condition, Mr King still works as a civilian manager of the warrant officers' mess and the sergeants' mess at RAF Brize Norton.

Mr King said: "I can't walk too far these days, so having a Motability car is an enormous help to me.

"It's the second car I've leased through the scheme, and it means I can drive easily to work at the RAF Brize Norton.

"In my spare time. I enjoy going out with my wife, visiting craft fairs, museums, the theatre, and air shows."

Mr King and his wife Pamela live in Carterton.

He retired from the RAF as a warrant officer after 33 years service, but still enjoys doing the same catering and accommodation work, but as a civilian employee.

Mr Cameron formally presented the new car, and said: "The Motability scheme is unique in the world, and one we can all be very proud of.

"Its success is reflected in the fact that more than 450,000 disabled people across the country enjoy the independence the scheme brings."