Hello everybody. With the lighter nights and better weather, we are moving out of the gloomy winter period. Spring is a time to look forward to the coming year. With this theme in mind I have some fantastic news to share with you. As I alluded to in the February edition of the Newsletter we are making plans to reach out more to young drivers - the most vulnerable age group. I have great pleasure in informing you that following our recent application to the Merseyside Road Safety Partnership (MRSP), with great support from St. Helens Council Road Safety, we and the Wirral and Sefton Groups have received funding for young drivers - much more than we were hoping for.

The three groups can now offer an £89 discount to well over 100 drivers in the age range 17 to 35 over the next three years. They’ll only pay £60. In addition, we have received separate funding from the MRSP to help us publicize this. The committee has responded well to this opportunity: the website has been updated to describe how our Young Driver Scheme works and plans are in place concerning how we will manage contact with young drivers and their payments.

On the 14th March we organised an afternoon event at the St. Helens College for David Gallegher, the IAM RoadSmart Young Driver Ambassador to give a presentation to approximately 70 students supported by Steve Ellis, our IAM RoadSmart Area Service Delivery Manager and a gentleman from the Midlands Fire and Rescue who provided students with virtual reality headsets to view the in-car aftermath of a collision - very powerful. The college is very supportive of our aims and this is likely to become an annual event.    
  
We have set-up a sub-committee to manage our advertising and promotion of our Young Driver Scheme. If you have any suggestions, then please send me an e-mail or if you are particularly enthusiastic to help the Group with this then you are more than welcome to join our sub-committee.

Our next course starts with an Introduction Evening at the ibis hotel, Haydock on Thursday 3^rd May. If you have a family member or friend who you think would like to join the course, then let them know. In addition to our Young Driver Discount we have cash backs for those ages 60+. If you are reading this and would like to or are thinking about joining us then contact Kay Heppenstall, our pre-course co-ordinator, who will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Irrespective of whether you let us know in advance, you have an open invitation to come along on the 3^rd May to listen to the presentation before deciding whether to join us or not.

Well, that’s it from me. Safe driving and good observing.

Mark Farnworth
Group Chairman