A BUDE woman has started to overcome long-term employment barriers, thanks to help from Working Links.

Working Links, an organisation that is committed to helping the long-term unemployed overcome their barriers to work, with support from the Convergence ESF programme, is literally going the extra mile — or rather the extra 50 miles in the case of Sonja Code from Bude.

Sonja wanted to renew her forklift truck license. With the nearest course in Plymouth — 50 miles away — and with no public or private transport from Bude, this was a huge stumbling block. Despite the offer of Cornwall Works Plus covering all costs, the local taxi firm wasn't even willing to pick her up in the mornings as it was too early for them!

Kevin Kibbey, a Working Links consultant on Cornwall Works Plus, which receives its ESF investment through the Department of Work and Pensions, decided to take matters into his own hands and got up at 5.45am on eight mornings to pick up Sonja, to get her to Launceston for public transport at 7.40am. She then arrived in Plymouth in time to attend her course. As well as this extra help, Cornwall Works Plus paid for all her transport costs, and helped secure funding to pay for the course.

But it was all worth it, and the great news is that, as well as passing her forklift truck driving training, she has also been asked to put her name forward for possible training and paid work as an instructor in the future.

Sonja said: "Without Cornwall Works Plus I wouldn't be in the position I am today, where I can now go looking for fork truck driving work. It's a pretty male dominated job so it's tough enough to get work without all the other obstacles in the way. Thanks to Working Links I'm back in the driving seat of my career so to speak."