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On Thursday 29th August I will be cycling between the old Tyneside probation offices to the new joint office at Victoria House, just off the Scottswood Road.

To the shame of my brother, I’m not a cyclist. In fact the last time I rode my bike was over a year ago. My bike's been given some TLC though, and I’m back in the saddle and getting ready for this challenge 😃

I’ll cover just over 30 miles, and will be raising funds for The Recruitment Junction. I work for this amazing charity that works with Probation and other referral partners such as the Job Centres and Prisons to support people with convictions to find meaningful paid employment. We work with over 100 businesses as well as supporting our candidates with their own job search. This year we’ve placed around 140 people into work and 78% of our placements pass their probation period. Our reoffending rates are 2%. All to say, this model works.

If you’d like to support me as I put myself through this challenge and push myself (literally, up some of the hills 😂), I’d be really grateful.

Your donations will make a genuine difference and will contribute towards our hardship fund to cover the essential ‘extras’ which are so often needed for people to start work. For example:

- £10 - mobile phone top-up card so candidates can contact us and employers

- £24 - travel pass to get to work for the first week

- £35 - birth certificate needed to prove right to work

- £50 - new home starter pack for when candidates have to move accommodation in order to start work

- £99 - construction site access card and qualification

Our heart is to see lives, families, communities and our local economy changed as a result of our work. We want to see a better story written over the lives of our candidates. We want to break the generational cycle of children following parents into jail. And we want people to discover their true identity and value, not defined by their past.

Here’s a quote from Kate who I placed into work with one of our employers nearly a year ago: “I wouldn't have been able to achieve my goals without the support of The Recruitment Junction team especially Jo who I worked with. The work that this organisation does to assist offenders is phenomenal.”

Thank you for your support!

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