Andrea’s Autos

Andrea's Autos is more than your standard garage. Not only is this one of the very few garages in the UK owned and managed by a woman, it also runs its own social enterprise. Grease Monkeys is a social initiative training students at risk of exclusion the auto trade. To date, over 300 primary and secondary schoolchildren from 13 local schools have come through the programme, which kicks off at the end of the normal working day. Founder Andrea Watts also has her hand in numerous other community projects trying to help young people in the area. Next on the hit-list: a skate park for the local kids. Watts and her co-founder husband are also about to launch a new project, The Enterprise Club, with the Job Centre to help the long-term unemployed back into work.

• Grease Monkeys gives young people the chance to learn a trade
• Campaigning for positive change in the community
• Ambitious initiative with the Job Centre to help the long-term unemployed.