Summer 2002

Guidance Council Quality Standards Accreditation

We were awarded Guidance Council Accreditation in March following a long investigation into our management systems and operating standards.

This is a nationally recognised award and covers areas including marketing, HR, monitoring, data management, statutory requirements and policies.

Learning & Skills Council

We have been awarded our first contract with the LSC to provide 5 motorcycle maintenance courses for 16 year olds and over. The take up of these places is excellent with over half the places already booked. A second contract has been agreed but needs to be finalised. This contract will involve management and systems training for small garage owners and work-based training for SKIDZ students.

Wycombe District Council Grant

WDC support a variety of local community based organisations and in April they presented us with a cheque to help with our core costs.

As core funding is the most difficult to find this grant is extremely valuable and will go towards payment of the rent on the premises.

Summer Holiday Activities

Bookings were very good this year with courses including car and motorcycle maintenance courses, 2 separate 1-week maintenance courses, a 1-week course for the Buckinghamshire Young Peoples University and quad-biking and motorcycling activities.

During the holidays we worked in partnership with Wycombe youth & community, Slough youth & community, Thames Valley Police, some Parish councils, BYPU, YOT as well as directly with young people in the community.

In total 198 young people took part in activities with 56% of these coming from ethnic minorities.

Lady Popplewell Award

Schools are invited annually to enter a "healthy school" project by the Thames Valley Partnership. This year the Wycombe Grange Pupil Referral School, in partnership with SKIDZ, became the first ever non-mainstream school to win this prestigious award for their road safety project involving their own students as well as students from a primary school.

The High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, the Hon Rupert Carington, presented the award and a cheque for £500 at SKIDZ.

Wycombe Business Excellence Awards

At the Gala Awards Dinner held at the Town Hall in September we were presented with a plaque for winning the Performance through People category and a certificate for being a finalist in the Small Business of the Year category.

The Performance through People award was ³aimed to identify the organisation which had best invested in its staff in order to achieve business excellence². High praise for SKIDZ but also a reflection of the attitude that everyone involved in SKIDZ has towards continual improvement of themselves, their teaching and the organisation.

Thank you to everyone who supports SKIDZ no matter how.