In the last three months of 2022, 589,000 women aged 16 and over were unemployed, a statistic which local charity Smart Works Reading is working to tackle in Berkshire. David Wilson Homes has launched a new collection point for the charity at its Ashridge Grange sales and marketing suite on Warren House Road, Wokingham inviting all local residents to donate good quality women’s clothing and accessories throughout August.
Delivering over 560 appointments in the last year, Smart Works Reading helps women into employment with free job interview coaching and dressing. Its clients are referred from a range of partners including Job Centres, mental health charities, homeless shelters, the prison service, care service and youth organisations. They offer bespoke dressing consultations with two trained volunteers, to find a high-quality interview outfit. Their clients receive the clothing, coaching and confidence to transform their own lives.
Smart Works welcomes donations of clothes and accessories that are good quality. Its focus is for interview appropriate clothes to be placed in their client dressing room. They also accept other good quality items that they can sell at their quarterly sustainable fashion sales with all profits going towards funding its service. Promoting circular fashion, they ask ‘if it still looks great, please donate.’
The Ashridge Grange sales and marketing suite is open Monday 12.30pm to 5.30pm and Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5.30pm for the community to drop off their donations.
Phil Hurring, marketing manager at David Wilson Southern Counties, said: “Smart Works Reading is a charity close to our hearts at David Wilson Southern Counties, supporting women who are struggling to get back in the workplace. We wanted to continue our support for women’s employment opportunities, something we take incredibly seriously in our own industry, so are pleased to be hosting a drop off point for the charity at our sales and marketing suite at Ashridge Grange. Please do drop in if you have any spare clothes or accessories, as all will either help to fund the service or help women feel comfortable and prepared for their upcoming interviews.”
Laura Ennis, fundraising and communications officer at Smart Works Reading said: “Our service at Smart Works Reading is proven to support those most at risk of economic hardship. Despite one in four of our clients having been unemployed for over three years, 72 per cent of the women we see go on to get the job within a month of their appointment.
“Across our 10 centres, we are working towards our three-year plan to double the number of women we support by 2025. With the support of individuals and companies, we can help even more local women to get the job and transform their lives.
“We are always seeking donations from individuals in the community, so we thank David Wilson Southern Counties for hosting a collection box at its sales and marketing suite. We look forward to continuing to support more local unemployed women into work with the help of David Wilson Homes and the community.”
Smart Works Reading also encourage financial donations through their website https://reading.smartworks.org.uk/get-involved/donate-your-money/. It costs £3,000 a week to run their centre in the heart of Reading and with no central funding support from the local community is vital to fund their amazing service. To keep up to date with future fundraising events follow @Smartworksrdg on twitter, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.
For further details on Smart Works Reading, please visit https://reading.smartworks.org.uk/.
