LATASHA, 9, AND CARLO, 13, FRONT A £5 MILLION BUSINESS EXPANSION

Little Latasha Arnone may only be nine years old. And, at 13, her brother Carlo is not much older.

But the youngsters are helping their parents to launch a new £5 million business investment.

Latasha and Carlo are fronting a North West radio campaign for Manchester-based vehicle accident repair and bodyshop specialist Sapphire Garage - because mum and dad believe they can do it better than voice-over professionals.

“You get sick of hearing celebrities doing radio campaigns all day long,” says Paula Arnone who runs the Sapphire operation with her husband Tony.

“What people hear in our 40-second ads are kids having a bit of banter which gives it all an informal family feel that’s far more ‘real’ and genuine. We explained our ideas to them but, in the end, they gave us their own version.”

Latasha already has her sights on a showbusiness career - as a singer - and the voice-over was probably helped by her training at Northwich Stage School. But soccer fan Carlo prefers playing with Knutsford’s Edgerton Tigers football team and wants to be an architect. Both go to Hulme Grammar School at Oldham.

Their radio ad - in which Carlo accidentally scratches dad’s car with his bike - is launching Sapphire’s new East Manchester bodyshop beside the main A62. The three-acre site, two miles from Manchester city centre, will be one of the largest purpose-built vehicle accident repair operations in the country.

The newest and most technically advanced eco-friendly bodyshop in the UK has a contemporary steel clad building big enough to fit a football pitch - with parking outside for 300 vehicles.

The original Sapphire Garage started up 25 years ago with a small unit on the Enterprise Trading Estate. The Arnones now own the whole estate.

“And the two sites,” says Tony, “now give us a total of five acres to deal with walk-in retail business as well as insurance jobs. And even with insurance claims, including non-fault accidents, every motorist still has a choice where their vehicle goes for repair. It’s not the insurer’s decision.

“That’s why we’re expanding … we cater for people who care about their vehicles and want the best for them.”