A hospitality worker from Atherstone who lost her job due to cuts made as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has been given free support to turn her life around and find new employment – and is urging others to do the same.

Karen Campbell, 54, has found a job in retail after being supported by the Accelerate project, which offers free support to those who are unemployed across Coventry and Warwickshire.

The mother-of-two has spent the majority of her career in hospitality, eventually progressing to management.

When the wedding and events venue Karen worked at was forced to close its doors in March last year, the company had to let her go and she was faced with unemployment and the prospect of not being able to pay her mortgage and losing her home.

After submitting several unsuccessful job applications and receiving financial support from family members, Karen was referred to Accelerate to help build her confidence, upskill and receive support finding employment.

Karen was lent a laptop and took part in a number of free online courses, achieving Level 2 qualifications in food hygiene, health and safety, and IT, and also received guidance on potentially changing her career path as well as updating her CV, creating cover letters and filling in applications.

She has now gained a position in retail, and her new skills and qualifications mean she is not only able to work as a sales assistant but also provide support in the store's bakery and café.

Karen is now urging others in a similar position to take advantage of the support available – whatever their age.

She said: "I've never been out of work before, so when the lockdown came along and I lost my job it knocked me off my feet.

"I was so worried about not being able to pay my mortgage and losing my home. It's just me and my daughter living there and she's at university so I really didn't want to worry her.

"I was so thankful when I found Accelerate – the programme helped boost my confidence when I was at my lowest.

"When you've been employed for so long you can find applying for new jobs out of your comfort zone, but my journey guide Tim provided me with a huge amount of support.

"It was so nice to have someone to talk to about my situation who could provide me with advice and guidance. I hadn't really thought about retail until Tim showed me that I had a range of transferrable skills.

"He also supported me to find the right job for my circumstances. I live in a small village with a very limited bus service and I had to stop taking driving lessons when I lost my job, but he helped me find a retail position which I could get to.

"I'm so lucky that I had both my family and Tim providing me with so much support. Having a network of people really goes a long way.

"I'd urge anyone who is unemployed to contact Accelerate. A lot of people don't look for help because of their pride, but everyone needs to put that aside because nobody is going to give you a job unless you work for it.

"I'm 54 and demonstrating that anything is possible if you put your mind to it."

Tim Bannister, journey guide at Accelerate, said: "Karen knew it would be difficult to go back into hospitality under the current circumstances, but was willing to branch out and took advantage of any upskilling opportunities.

"The courses she took part in really helped secure her new position as they provided added value to the employer, enabling Karen to fulfil the role of sales assistant but also support in other areas of the business.

"The Accelerate project was originally designed to support those furthest from employment, but Covid has completely changed this and we have been inundated with people in a similar position to Karen.

"We are able to provide people with a service that is tailored to their specific needs and support them in working towards their goals."

Anyone wishing to find out more about the support available is asked to contact Accelerate on 02476 633911. Further information can also be found by visiting the website.

Those wishing to join the Accelerate programme need to be 19 or over and have the right to live and work in the UK.

The free employment support is offered through 'Accelerate', a Building Better Opportunities project funded by the European Social Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund which is managed by Coventry and Warwickshire CDA and is delivered in conjunction with a partnership of local organisations.