THE new Work and Pensions Secretary has spoken of his ambitions to get more disabled people into work during a tour of the Shaw Trust's Palmer Gardens in Trowbridge. 

Damian Green spoke of his support for disabled employment during a guided tour of the garden centre, which currently employs 32 students, on Monday afternoon.

He said: "It is great to be here and it is really interesting. The Shaw Trust work here is really good and it fits in well with what I am hoping to achieve in this department with people who find it difficult to get into work. In terms of self-esteem having a job is really good for the people who work here."

"We have a sense of the training we do and the work in the cafe and outside is quite interesting. We also get a sense of the difficulties they face but they really enjoy it and it shows how valuable it can be."

Mr Green, who has been the minister since July, also spoke of the role the government and third party organisations have to play in helping combat the stigma attached with disabilities and how his new policies were going to combat that.

He said: "What we will be doing is introducing a package designed to help people who find it difficult getting and keeping work. A lot of it is to do with health issues, disability issues and if you can support them using things like the job centre to give people the training they need, that gets them into a much better position. Over the next few weeks and months, we will be making announcements. 

"The government have a big role to play but so do outside organisations and I am delighted to be able to work with them."

During his first stop on his tour of disability organisations across the country, Mr Green was shown around the centre by students Katie Bull and Matthew Sherman who have been working there for more than a year. 

"I really enjoyed it," Mr Sherman said. "He said a lot of different stuff but it was all about the staff."

Mr Sherman is doing one day a week at Trowbridge College and hopes to become a gardener while Miss Bull hopes to continue her culinary success after flourishing at the cafe. 

General centre manager Simon Harpin said: "What we really struggle with is staffing and the costs of running and having the staff here. It is really funding that we need so we can employ more people as quite a few of our students like Matthew are so close to gaining employment."

"Matthew is so close," Training Manager Emma Black added. "He is doing one day of Mathematics and English at Wiltshire College and once his education is finished I can see no reason why this young man can't go into sustainable employment. It is the same for Katie too - she is so determined and her work ethic and work is fantastic.

"I think the students are really pleased with Damian's visit. They are the real ambassadors for what we do and having someone as important as him, I think that for them is quite bolstering. I think it is nice for to see the people making these decisions come out and meet the people they will affect."