Skinner was born in
Barnet,
Middlesex on 6 April 1911. She was the daughter of the boot and shoe manufacturer and motor car enthusiast Thomas Carlyle Skinner. Skinner had a younger brother. At the time of her birth, the
British Auto Racing Club (BARC) barred women from competing against men until it lifted the restriction in 1932. The Morris Cowley Special was retired from motor racing at the end of 1932 due to it no longer being competitive but Skinner kept it in her possession to tow her new White Minor racer presented to her by
William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield, founder of
Morris Motors, to events. At the international open hill climb meeting, she set a time of 50.35 seconds, four seconds slower than the ladies' record. Skinner set another time of 50.8 seconds at another Shelsley Walsh meet that was the fastest time of all women of the day, for which she received a special cup award. She later set a new ladies' record at of 46.6 seconds, beating the previous record of a Miss Sedgwick by 1.4 seconds. failing to start because of engine trouble. She was entered into the
1935 24 Hours of Le Mans and was part of a three-car, six-women team dubbed the "
George Eyston's Dancing Daughters". Skinner shared the factory-entered 55
MG PA Midget with
Doreen Evans in the 1.1 category, completing 136 laps to finish 25th overall and tenth in class. The following year, she was one of two women to enter the Frazer Nash Car Club meet at Donington Park, and continued competing at Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb and winning titles there until 1938. Skinner also raced competitively at
Brooklands, becoming part of the "Brooklands Belles". She also secured a class victory at the
Lewes Speed Trials and set the fastst lap time at the Dancer's End Hill Climb in 1936. ==Personal life==