When antisocial behaviour first became a problem on the east Worthing estate where Mick Smith and his wife Chriss live, their response was the same as most other people’s. “We shouted at them like everybody else for the first couple of years and then realised that was going nowhere,” says Mick, who is Sussex-born-and-bred. “We started collecting old bikes and doing them up, giving them to the local kids and teach them how to care for them. We keep the bikes in my garage – hence the name Mick’s Garage!”
The couple, who have been married for 47 years, work to improve the lives of young people  by bringing the community together, helping people to help themselves and each other. They also work with local food schemes to deliver food to families who would otherwise not be able to feed their households.
They also organise outings and trips for local children, many of whom suffer multiple disadvantage. Trips have included trips to Butlins and Fishers Farm. Some children’s horizons have been so limited, the farm visit was the first time they had encountered real, live cows and sheep.