HOMELESS charity Julian House will be able to take on a dedicated employment support worker for its Trowbridge Bike Workshop, after securing part of a new £2.5million fund set up by NatWest.

The Bath charity is one of six not-for-profit organisations around the South West to receive a share of NatWest’s Skills and Opportunities Fund, with the winners chosen from more than 1,000 applicants nationwide.

The fund is dedicated to supporting projects in disadvantaged communities that help people to help themselves by learning new skills, getting into the world of work or setting up their own business.

Julian House, which was awarded £22,479, works across Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire, providing socially excluded people with accommodation, support, skills development training and work experience opportunities.

Cecil Weir, of Julian House, said: “This support from NatWest will make a real difference to our work with some of the marginalised members of society. Julian House already has a good track record of setting up successful social enterprise projects. 

“We know that they are an effective way to deliver valuable work experience and training opportunities for individuals with a history of homelessness, addiction, offending or long term unemployment.

“However, experience has also shown that promoting the benefits of the project to a diverse client group is really important, as is supervising the participants through training courses. 

“The funding from NatWest will allow us to appoint a part-time support worker to do this work.  This will mean more clients benefiting, much better prospects for their future and more progress for them back into employment.”

The winning South West organisations were chosen from a shortlist of 13 by a panel of judges from NatWest’s South West and Wales Regional Board, along with a public vote, which counted as one vote.

Board chairman Haydn Thomas said: “It was a challenging decision because of the standard of entries we received. But the panel felt that the Julian House project could have a massive impact on the self esteem and confidence of the individuals who will take part in the Trowbridge Bike Workshop, giving them a real boost in terms of skills and employability.

“Our congratulations and best wishes for the project go to Julian House, and I’d encourage anyone who wasn’t successful this time to try again when applications open for the next round.”

Applications for the next round of funding open on August 24. To find out more about the winners of this round of the Skills and Opportunities Fund and check out the application criteria, visit skillsandopportunitiesfund.natwest.com