A TEESSIDE soldier is spending his summer teaching youngsters how to ride motorcycles properly and safely.

Lance Corporal Stuart Stainthorpe, from Middlesbrough, is serving with the Royal Signals Motorcycle Road Show, which travels the country visiting Army Cadet units and schools.

It has been running for ten years, and L/Cpl Stainthorpe, 22, joined the team in May.

He said: "We give the youngsters an extensive safety brief and then get them on a 50cc machine, and they ride round a circuit we have set out.

"It's a good job, and I like to see the cadets having fun.

"We will visit 68 locations during the season, which gives a lot of them a chance to ride the bikes.

"Their enthusiasm is great, and they understand the safety aspects of motorcycle riding, which has to be good for road safety when they learn to ride or drive later on."

Motorcycles have been part of the Royal Signals for several years.

One of their original duties was as dispatch riders.

Today, they have the Army's top motorcycle team, The White Helmets.