Catch a different side of Lewis Hamilton on TV Friday night when the 2008 Formula 1 champion spends time at a recreational project for disadvantaged children as part of the BBC's Children In Need show.
Lewis visited the Redhill & Reigate YMCA to meet children who take part in the YIPPEE project - a playscheme funded by BBC Children in Need that looks after kids during school holidays and at weekends. The scheme caters for young people with a range of conditions - from Down's Syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism, to ADHD and learning difficulties.
YIPPEE enables kids to take part in sports for the disabled, such as boccia - a challenging variation on bowls, provides them with sensory stimulation, puzzles and arranges outings to local parks, farms and recreational areas - such as swimming pools.
Lewis threw himself into the day's events, getting involved in a number of activities, including an art session where he happily let children paint his hands! Finally, to round off the day, Lewis and the team arranged a unique treat - parking a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes outside the YMCA and giving the children an up-close-and-personal tour of the car and some of the special equipment used by a Formula 1 team at the grands prix.
Speaking after the visit, Lewis said: "I loved my visit to the YIPPEE project. It's always great to get to spend time with kids - and we had a fantastic time. The crowning glory was bringing them out to see the car - their faces were unbelievable because they could hardly believe it! - and getting to show them around the car, and tell them about life as a Formula 1 driver.
"Children In Need does an incredible amount of good work, and a lot of it is often overlooked, so coming to the YIPPEE project and getting to see all the hard work put in by the volunteer staff was really inspirational.
"Please remember to tune in to Children In Need tonight, and to give generously, because your donations really do make a difference to thousands of young lives."
The Appeal film will be broadcast on the BBC's annual charity marathon, which starts at 19:00 on BBC1 in the UK on Friday 20th. To find out more, or to donate, please visit www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey
