If you offer my mum a job then I promise to pay £1,000 to charity (From Malvern Gazette)

If you offer my mum a job then I promise to pay £1,000 to charity

9:00am Friday 10th February 2012 in News

A MALVERN woman’s search for work has become so desperate there is a £1,000 donation to charity up for grabs to anyone who can provide her with a job.

Carrie Foxley moved to Malvern from the Cotswolds in October 2010 and began looking for work.

But, despite making hundreds of applications and enquiries, she is still having to get by on jobseeker’s allowance almost a year-and-a-half later.

Now the situation has become so frustrating to her and her family they have hit upon what they hope will be a novel solution.

Her son, who does not want to be named, is a business student in his final year at Durham University and will stump up the sum.

Mrs Foxley, aged 56, said: “He has been helping me in my search, looking at my CV and looking for any opportunities that might be out there, but we have just been coming up against a brick wall.

“Despite being a hard-pressed student he said he would put up this money in the hope it would offer some incentive. We have tried everything else.”

Mrs Foxley, who has a degree in textile and interior design and previously worked as a home consultant for a furniture company, said she has applied for hundreds of jobs since coming to Malvern.

“I have gone for all different sort of jobs.

“I even tried applying for childcare positions and was told that I didn’t have the qualifications – but I am a mother who has raised two children.”

Mrs Foxley’s efforts have been backed by Coun Barbara Williams, responsible for community and economic development at Malvern Hills District Council. She said: “This is an enterprising approach to finding work in a tough economic climate and we wish Mrs Foxley every success in her search.

“The district has relatively low unemployment figures but there are only so many vacancies available so job-hunters need to be tenacious, creative and flexible in searching and applying for jobs.”

She said MHDC works closely with Job Centre Plus and supports a range of employment initiatives such as the job club at Malvern library every Wednesday between 1.30pm and 4pm and the new Overdrive vehicle maintenance training project for young unemployed people being established at its premises in Spring Lane.

The latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics show there are 1,027 people claiming jobseeker’s allowance in the Malvern Hills district – 2.3 per cent of the working age population. Of those 691 are male and 336 are female.

Anyone who may be able to offer Mrs Foxley a job can call her on 07974 005623.