Acorn Training Coach celebrates funding success to support those in need

Nicola Smith, an employment coach at Acorn Training celebrates the funding that she has been able to secure for those most in need. Nicola’s job enables her to work with a mixture of people from all walks of life, focusing on assisting those with barriers to work including homeless individuals, those recovering from substance abuse, returning citizens, those suffering with mental health issues and those suffering/recovering from domestic abuse. Nicola discusses her customers, “Each person tells a very different story and it’s an honour to help these people take that next step.”

Since starting with Acorn Training, Nicola has achieved in excess of £5000 worth of funding. Her secured funding includes £1900 funding to provide clothing to those unable to purchase appropriate clothing for the changing weather, a £150 gym membership for a disabled lady who uses the gym to swim to ease her joints and £700 towards flooring to amend the properties of two individuals who needed assistance.

The funding received also enabled two deposits amounting £845 to ensure individuals were no longer rough sleeping. Nicola further helped to purchase a cooker, two washers and a dryer for families who needed these facilities. The gentleman who received the cooker only had a halogen oven and managed to cook Christmas dinner in it in December 2021. Nicola says, “This enables just a little pressure to be lifted from someone in the difficult place and trying to move upwards.”

Finally, Nicola has also supported reducing the digital skills gap by securing 25 data cards to get participants digitally-included to improve their communication, information accessing, job searching, socialising and much more.

Nicola concludes with “Tell me I don’t have the best job ever.”