East Lancashire employment programmes celebrated at awards event

The charity Active Lancashire has won an award for its successful delivery of two East Lancashire employment programmes, Rossendale Works (RW) and Pendle YES Hub (PYH) .

The organisation was successful in winning the Work and Training Social Enterprise of the Year category at the SELNET Enterprise in Society Awards, at the Village Hotel in Blackpool on Friday 4th November. The awards celebrate the exceptional work of non-profit organisations in Lancashire, with the category specifically highlighting the achievements of those that help local people into employment.

Rossendale Works is a partnership between Active Lancashire, Rossendale Council and the DWP that provides tailored employment support, job fairs and free pre-employment training courses with guaranteed interviews. Rossendale Works engaged 241 people in the last financial year, helping 44 into jobs with local employers.

Rossendale Works is planning to develop its own employment hub at the Old Town Hall in Rawtenstall, having recently submitted a bid for this alongside Nelson & Colne College.

Pendle YES Hub is a youth employment centre initially developed by Active Lancashire and Pendle Council, and supported with funding from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Cllr Alyson Barnes, the leader of Rossendale Council, said: “It’s great to see Rossendale Works receiving the recognition it deserves in not only helping people in the borough into work, but also engaging local businesses so that they continue to employ locally.”

True to the wider strategies of Active Lancashire, both services provide free activity sessions within their offer. These boost attendee confidence, encourage team-work, combat isolation and improve wellbeing. The sessions – everything from boxfit to swimming – create engagement, generating trust between coaches and attendees, tackling inequalities by removing job centre formalities and engaging participants within a comfortable environment. Both services also aim to include people with lived experience of unemployment barriers within their delivery, which helps develop a rapport and understanding with participants.

Adrian Leather, Chief Executive at Active Lancashire, said: “It is an honour to win and for two of our employment services to be recognised for their achievements. We are glad to be doing our part to support people and help reduce unemployment in Lancashire, while also utilising the benefits of an active lifestyle to boost skills and confidence.”

 

photo captions: Main photo (left to right): Accepting the award from Donna Sadler (SELNET Deputy CEO & Partnership Manager) was Paul Becouarn (Rossendale Works Project Officer), Dave Marshall (Pendle YES Hub Project Lead) and Adrian Leather (Active Lancashire CEO).

second photo: Paul Becouarn at a fitness session with young attendees and Rossendale Works Project Officer Django Back (second from right).