Jo

Jo, 29 from Berwick joined Bridge Northumberland in Feb 2021 after visiting her GP for help.

Having recently moved to the area Jo was struggling and needed to get help. She had tried various things over the past few years to try to help herself but she felt she wasn’t making the progress she wanted. Her GP and Social Prescriber at the surgery referred her to Bridge Northumberland.

Jo was allocated Andrew as her Bridge Worker. At the initial meeting Jo explained how she was an English graduate and would like to get back into employment that used her skills and expertise. Jo had a CV which included experience working in magazine publishing and she felt this was an area she would like to get back into.

Through relocations and COVID Jo’s most recent employment had been as a care assistant. Although she had enjoyed the work, Jo felt it had been challenging to her mental health working in the care home environment through COVID. Andrew could see Jo wasn’t ready or able to work at present so he started by referring Jo to Citizens Advice for support in accessing benefits and Cygnus Support to get her counselling. Jo worked with Lorraine at Cygnus who started with weekly counselling sessions then moved onto coaching sessions.

Jo says: “I had tried counselling before but this was different, they did what they promised and beyond. I was given skills and techniques to use with relationships with family, friends and at work.”

With Jo’s wellbeing improving, Andrew suggested Jo joined the weekly Friday session at the Employment Hub at Alnwick. At the hub Jo was supported by Joy and Lisa the Employment Coaches from Community Action Northumberland to look for employment opportunities. Jo says she found the weekly routine of the sessions supportive and helpful.

In Nov 2021 Andrew knew of a opportunity at The Alnwick Garden, they were offering a ‘Grow into Work’ programme to run for 6 weeks with a guaranteed interview with them on completion. Andrew suggested the programme to Jo and she was keen to enrol and give it a go.

Alistair at The Alnwick Garden ‘Grow into Work’ programme started by finding out what Jo was interested in and her previous work experience. It was November and the gardens weren’t busy so Alistair found an opportunity for Jo to get some experience volunteering in Lions Book Shop, Alnwick. Jo started by shadowing a staff member for one shift but soon progressed to weekly shifts on her own.

Jo was able to use so many of her skills and knowledge from her English degree and previous publishing employment at her time at the book shop to improve their cataloguing, sale displays and spotted new book sales opportunities for them. Jo says: “every time I went in my confidence just grew.”

With her confidence lifted Jo was still using the weekly Alnwick Employment Hub and it was  Feb 2022 she spotted her dream job, a Content Writer for Vertu Motors. Jo says: “I needed that job, it was my dream job!”

Jo applied and got an interview. The first interview was on Zoom then it was through to a test. She then progressed to the final stage of a face to face interview. Jo was successful and was thrilled to be offered the job and started in March 2022.

Jo says: “I am back in a career using my degree in job I love.”

Jo would say to others about Bridge Northumberland: “Do it!, you don’t get all these sort opportunities for help – so take them. Bridge Northumberland pull all the bits together for you.”

Its fantastic to see Jo in her new job and for her to have made the changes she wanted to achieve in her life and for her future.