John Nicholson CEO & Founder
As a fully Approved Driving Instructor (“ADI”), John understands what it means when someone passes their driving test.
All of his pupils have told him how much passing their test means to them.
John knows what it means to live in financial hardship as he comes from a single-parent family from South-East London.
“I will always remember what passing my test did for me, it was life changing.”
John also knows how vital a driving licence is in order for people to change their situation, they need the skills and confidence that driving gives people. He says "It is essential that people have a full UK driving licence in order to apply for many jobs, even if they are not "driving" jobs."
John stopped working in Central London in 2015 and trained to become a driving instructor. This is where the seed for Community Driving School was planted. Experiencing the sheer joy when people passed their test is what gave John the idea to enable people living in financial difficulty to receive the opportunity to learn to drive. John and his close friend, David Smith, sat down over a couple of evenings and spoke about their vision for how this will work.
It is often said that the best ideas are simple, John and David believe this solution is simple and there is nothing like this in the UK. The Community Driving School was born out of the desire to give people a new skill and help them change their lives. Employers often request that a candidate has a full UK driving licence which for some can be out of reach due to financial difficulty. So, John and David decided that in return for community-based work, we can provide sponsored driving lessons to get them into work. Simple.