Press Release

Teams take the challenge and make a difference

More than 120 people from Working Links joined forces to help make a difference to the lives of people across Newcastle.

As part of a customer services day, the organisation set their staff the challenge to go out into the community and carry out a range of tasks for local charities. Every member of the group accepted the gauntlet and volunteered their time to help out.

They were divided into small groups and each team was set a mission for the day.
Tasks ranged from setting up a music studio for the Park Road Community Association in Newcastle to creating a lavender walkway in the sensory garden in Newcastle’s Exhibition Park.

Some worked together to revamp a kitchen and office at a recycling project in Byker. Meanwhile, others refurbished the art studio, kitchen and crèche for the Base – a Barnados centre in Whitley Bay.
 
Together the Working Links’ teams tackled 19 projects citywide during the day-long challenge and helped make a real difference to hundreds of people’s lives. As an organisation that is more used to helping people break down the barriers that prevent them from returning to the workplace, the physical tasks such as painting and planting were a break from their daily routine.

“We were delighted to help out some of our local charities,” said Dawn Holroyd, who, as regional business partner, is based at the Newcastle office of Working Links. “As an organisation we are dedicated to working within the community and helping change the lives of people. Our role involves helping people who find it difficult to return to work. By helping them back into the workplace, it has a positive knock-on effect on the wider community.”

The major charity challenge followed news that Working Links in the North East  has been awarded a major contract to deliver a skills programme to help disadvantaged people break through the barriers that prevent them from working. The training in basic literacy, numeracy and language skills will help open up new opportunities for those people who have few skills and lack schooling. 

With the new contract in the North East to deliver an even larger skills programme comes more jobs. Working Links - which this year was placed in the Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work For league – continues to expand its ever growing workforce. It is always on the lookout for people interested in helping build futures, particularly those with teaching qualifications, to join its existing team.
 
• If you too have a passion for making a difference and would like to join the growing band of people working for Working Links, check out its website www.workinglinks.co.uk/people or call freephone 0800 917 9262.

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