NHS doctor launches women-only car workshops

An NHS doctor and car lover said she is on a mission to empower women to become more car literate so they can fix their own vehicle problems if they get into vulnerable situations.

Louise Willcott, 31, said her love of motors had made her into the go-to person for a lot of her friends when they had car problems.

Willcott launched The Women's Auto Academy three months ago and runs women-only workshops in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire and Macclesfield to teach them key skills such as how to change a flat tyre, check for oil and jumpstart a car.

She said: "It's kind of ingrained into society that you need to call a man for help or go to see this mechanic-man. That's crazy to me."

She added: "For a lot of women anything to do with cars is just a mystery and they just don't know where to start they're just completely lost.

"Lots of women don't get taught these things, it's a really vulnerable position to be in as a woman.

"If I can give people a little bit of knowledge, it can empower them to do more research and actually go into that garage and say 'I think this is what is wrong' and they are less likely to be taken for a ride."

Willcott said people can get stuck waiting hours for breakdown cover on the side of the road which can put women in a vulnerable position.

She had thought about launching the workshops for a while but the final catalyst was when a friend called her crying a few months ago.

She said: "One of my very close friends lost her dad a couple of years ago and she called me because she had got upset because she got stuck and she was like 'I would normally call my dad and I can't because I've lost him and I don't know what else to do'.

"It's really hard, if you've always had one person that you are relying on and then you lose that."

Willcott started her sole trader "side hustle" while being a foundation doctor for the NHS.

Although she said she has no plans to swap the hospital ward for the mechanical workshops, she plans to register the business in the next few months as her workshops grow.

Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks? Contact us below.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.