Islanders with mental and physical challenges get jobs thanks to charity

An increasing number of people with disabilities or mental health problems are being helped back to work in Jersey.

The Jersey Employment Trust says it worked with more than 150 islanders last year.

Martine Dolan was told in former jobs that she would never be able to work on checkouts because she has a mild learning difficulty and struggled with maths.

But after being supported by the Jersey Employment Trust, she now has a job on the checkouts at the St Brelade Co-op branch.

She said: "A lot of people said that all my life, you won't be doing till. And I got it in my head I won't be doing till. And from then I tried to avoid jobs with till. But a job came up at the Grand Marche and we had training here and I got offered the job.

Many like 20-year-old Louisa Bowman find social interaction hard, and there was a time when she wondered how she'd get a job...

She explained: "When I was trying on my own I kept hitting a lot of dead ends so I decided after a while that I needed some help. So that's when I got involved with the Jersey Employment Trust and over a few months they gave me advice on what I should do."

That advice and support from JET helped 152 people like Louisa get jobs last year; including an increasing number of islanders with mental health issues. It's celebrating its 15 year anniversary this year.