A Skipton woman has found both job and personal satisfaction in the town through a work training and opportunity programme run by a national charity.

And former bank manager Hazel Harradine has now been nominated for a special Star award.

She is one of around 20 people in Craven who have been helped back to work by the Shaw Trust's new Bradford office.

The charity was set up more than 20 years ago and is dedicated to providing training and work placements for people who are disadvantaged in the labour market. These disadvantages could be anything from disability to ill health or other social circumstances.

It is the largest UK provider of employment services for disabled people.

Mrs Harradine, a former bank manager and financial consultant, suffered from a breakdown several years ago. Since then she has had bouts of depression, but was always determined to get back to work.

It was her occupational therapist who put her in touch with the Shaw Trust and it got her a placement with a local garage after hearing she wanted to be a car saleswoman.

Chris Ward, one of the trust's recruitment consultants who covers the whole of the BD postcode area, explained: "I got in touch with Nicholas Smith's who had a word with their dealer principal who took her on as a trainee.

"After a few months she decided car sales was not for her, but Nicholas Smith's was so delighted with her they gave her a job in another department," Mr Ward explained.

He added that although she enjoyed the job, she realised her ambition was still centred around finance.

Shaw Trust proved it would go that extra mile by sourcing other job opportunities for her and she was offered a placement with Skipton Building Society in the customer services department at The Bailey.

That was six months ago. Mrs Harradine enjoys the work, feels settled and has successfully passed her probation period.

"Our aim is not just to get people into work, but to offer them training and counselling if needed and find them a job they want to do, where they want to do it," explained Mr Ward.

For a variety of reasons, sometimes through lack of confidence in themselves, only around half of disabled people of working age are in work.

The Shaw Trust's aims are to address this and also reach the people in the north of the country. Until recently the charity was only based in the south.

The Bradford office, which was set up 18 months ago, can be contacted through job centres where an appointment is made with one of the consultants.

Job centres have no other role to play - other than being informed when work has been gained - and all consultation details remain confidential.

So far the Bradford office has helped around 150 people back to work, with around 20 within the Craven area.

As well as helping people back into the workplace the Shaw Trust is also able to nominate clients, companies or organisation partners - such as the job centre - for special Star Awards.

The Bradford office has nominated Mrs Harradine for one of the categories. The Star Awards ceremony takes place in London in November.

Inquiries from prospective clients or employers can be made to the Shaw Trust on freephone 0800 0851001.