Sarah-Jane lives in Oswestry, part of a smaller community where’s she’s well-known around town.
It’s important to Sarah-Jane to be make a contribution. We often talk about people’s skills and passions, and really for Sarah-Jane her cheery personality and ability to make friends are both a skill and a passion. She’s someone who really cares about others.
For a little while, Sarah-Jane had been working at a local charity shop but this wasn’t a good fit for her. She didn’t feel listened to and wasn’t able to show everything she has to offer.
Looking at options
We didn’t want Sarah-Jane to lose her place in her community, and she wanted to be happy and appreciated. Sarah-Jane is incredibly friendly, she loves to meet new people and brings such sunshine into other people’s lives. Keeping her community-centred role was important. What was needed was a similar role, but with an employer who better understood Sarah-Janes abilities and valued what she was all about.
Retail was a good fit, as Sarah-Jane wanted to keep working with people, so we popped in to other charity shops as we went out and about around town to check out options.
Finding Barnardo's
Luckily, the manager at Barnardo's in Oswestry was eager to meet Sarah-Jane. Sarah-Jane thought she was amazing and the first meeting went brilliantly. The manager immediately saw what Sarah-Jane would bring to the workplace and recognised what she would be comfortable doing. The location was perfect as it was all familiar to Sarah-Jane.
Induction Day
The next step was an induction day. Sarah-Jane was a little nervous about this but didn’t want to miss out. Sarah-Jane was made to feel at home immediately and she soon relaxed and became her bright and cheery self. The manager talked to Sarah-Jane, asking her about herself and her interests. She was positive, understanding, and sought to tailor a role that would suit Sarah-Jane.
Sarah-Jane said of the manager:
She was amazing, she made me laugh, I was so pleased
Sarah-Jane settled in at once and was quickly asking where she would keep her tea mug!
Sarah-Jane’s been at Barnardo's for a while now. She is well managed, being set realistic tasks that she takes joy in achieving. She takes pride in showing the manager what she’s done before the end of her work time. And in return Barnardo's take the time to recognize Sarah-Janes contribution, which this makes her feel appreciated and valued. Everyone there simply encourages Sarah-Jane to be herself.
Staff reflections
It was a worry Sarah-Jane might be moving from one bad situation to another, and we thought about giving up shop work altogether, but together we kept looking and found the perfect match.
There was some formal paperwork to do, but Barnardo's were great about it and really helpful. What was important was that they saw Sarah-Jane for herself and let her be herself.
Staff member
This is about so much more than bagging clothes. It’s opened up a whole social life for her.
Barnardo's colleague
Sarah-Jane sums up her time at Barnardo's with one word:
Amazing!
