A CHARITY dedicating to improving the motor skills of youngsters has secured a licence to produce vehicle registration number plates.

The charity has formed a new company with SAMAR’T, Europe’s premier license plate manufacturer, to produce plates for the UK vehicle registration market.

The new business will trade under the name of SAMAR’T SKIDZ.

Graham Andrews, CEO of SKIDZ, said: "We believe the number plate industry in the United Kingdom is worth £60million.

"We hope that the major car dealers will want to source their number plates from SKIDZ so that funds will be channelled back to the charity – supporting the critical work we are undertaking with young people to develop the next generation of motor mechanics.

"This exciting new initiative demonstrates that we want to become a charity that is not totally reliant on peoples’ benevolence but one that is prepared to take a business approach to our fund-raising – generating the money required to guarantee our future stability, and to expand SKIDZ nationwide, to provide opportunities for young people around the UK."

SAMAR’T SKIDZ will be run by Mr Andrews with support from rally driving legend and SKIDZ Patron Paddy Hopkirk and his son Patrick, who is Managing Director of the Hopkirk family business. Liz Charleston has been appointed General Manager of the venture which will operate out of the SKIDZ headquarters at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

Mr Andrews added: "Our unique selling point is that we are a charity that is engaging with the motor industry for the benefit of the motor industry. The young people on our vocational courses are the motor mechanics of tomorrow.

"SKIDZ’s educational blueprint is designed on providing practical instruction around motor vehicle maintenance, linked to apprenticeship schemes, where our students can go straight into working within the industry.

"SKIDZ is all about helping the motor industry, and we want the motor industry to help us to help them. The industry needs to purchase registration plates for vehicles. By purchasing those plates from us they will be supporting a massively important motor education programme"

SKIDZ was launched in High Wycombe in 1998 in response to a surge in car crime in the area and has since evolved into an educational programme offering motor courses to schools and colleges locally.

The charity’s existing seven full-time trainers currently provide courses for over 300 students, aged from 13-19 years, each week and have helped around 8,000 young people since its launch.

To find out more about SKIDZ and how to get involved or make a donation visit: www.SKIDZ.org.uk