A woman is on a mission to help people in West Dorset get back to work.
Bridport has a new Job Club run by 60-year-old volunteer Barbara Richardson.
Chartered surveyor Mrs Richardson, who is newly arrived in the area, rang MP Oliver Letwin to find out if he had any suggestions for ways she could help her adopted home.
He immediately suggested a Job Club, which now runs in Bridport library on Tuesday afternoons between 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
She said: “I started the Job Club a couple of weeks ago and the numbers of both volunteers and job seekers are beginning to build. “It is run entirely by volunteers, it’s a community project for the community.
“We aim to provide a clearing house for jobs in Bridport so it is a great place to come and see what jobs are available because I have discovered there isn’t anywhere like that.
“You will get a warm smile and a friendly face which in my experience of being out of work is probably the number one requirement.
“You need to feel human again before you can start the process because finding a job is a job in itself and everybody who is working with us knows that and has been through it and has experience and expertise in the right areas.
“You will get help with finding what it is you are looking for and secondly places to find whatever it and how to go about getting it.
“There’s also help with the practicalities of writing a CV and a covering letter and actually putting the application in.
“So I hope it is friendly, professional, supportive and practical.
“We had three job seekers in last week and we had three jobs they could apply for that they could not have accessed in any other way so I am really proud of that.”
Mrs Richardson moved from Henley-on-Thames where she was chairman of the Commercial Group of The Henley Partnership after her successful residential property company was hit by the recession.
She is looking for a non-executive position as well as helping others.
Mr Letwin said: “Job Centres and the Work Programme both play an important role in helping people get back into work.
“But a job club like this, run by volunteers, has a human touch which is something special.”
Mrs Richardson can be contacted on 07949 011203 or barbara.bridport@gmail.com
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