A business which helps unemployed young people get motoring skills enjoyed a visit from HRH The Princess Royal.

Princess Anne visited Auto22 in Paddock Wood, to view the work of the social business.

She toured the garage, met the staff, and a number of the young people who benefit from Auto22’s training.

Auto22, part of national social business Catch22, is a motor vehicle repair business and works with around 5,000 local car owners and businesses a year.

Across the UK, nearly a million young people aged 16-24 were unemployed last year and many of those were out of work for two or more years.

During the visit, some of the staff told the Princess Royal about their experiences and how thier work had given them focus and encouragement to work.

She then spent time chatting with them, one-to-one, after the official photos had been taken.

A chess board had been made out of some car parts, including spark plugs for pawns, and she even stopped to have a look at how the game strategy was progressing.

Richard Mayhew, managing director of Auto 22 said: “We are delighted to showcase our work at Auto22 to Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.

"The work being done here is an example of how training within a real work environment can help more young people gain skills, find suitable employment in later life and build better links between businesses and communities.

"It is our responsibility as a society to help more young people create a future for themselves, both for their sake and for our wider communities. Apprenticeships can be extremely powerful in building up young people’s confidence and opening doors to better careers."

Alex Ferguson, 18, from Gravesend, joined Auto22 as an apprentice after getting into trouble with the police.

He said it turned his life around: "I left college, got into trouble with the police and had to go youth offenders, then the Connexions through youth offenders got me to this place."

He had previously finished a college course in construction but decided to re-train as an apprentice in mechanics: "I decided construction wasn't what suited me and it wasn't fun. I

've loved cars since I was young.

"I've been here for five months and got another five months left.

"It's great, it puts money in my pocket and it keeps me out of trouble."

Princess Royal