DRAGON Taxis has pledged to raise a minimum of £75,000 over three years for a children’s charity as part of its drive to end child abuse in the UK.

Veezu - which owns Dragon Taxis in Newport - has pledged to donate 1p to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) for every booking made using its app over the next three years.

The company is rolling out the initiative across its four UK firms – Dragon Taxis in South Wales, Amber Cars in Leeds, A2B Radio Cars in Birmingham and Solihull and V Cars in the South West of England - in the hope of raising £75,000 for the charity.

Joel Hope-Bell, Veezu’s chief executive officer, said: “The private hire and taxi industry provides a vital community service to individuals and families across the country.

“As a significant national player in the industry, this feels like a very natural partnership for Veezu and one that we are proud to pledge our support to."

Peter Wanless, chief executive officer at NSPCC, said they are "delighted" that Veezu has chosen to support the NSPCC in its fight for every childhood.

Mr Wanless said: “The money will support crucial services like Childline, which undertook nearly 300,000 counselling sessions with children and young people last year.

“It will also help us to continue delivering our innovative schools service, which helps young children speak out and stay safe from abuse, both in the real world and online.”

The NSPCC helpline received 2,149 contacts from Wales last year and Childline carried out 7,605 counselling sessions for children from Wales.