Working Chance held a fantastic event at the Goldsmiths’ Hall in London in June to celebrate its tenth anniversary. It was a wonderful celebration of the impact we’ve had on the lives of thousands of women as well as on attitudes to the employment of ex-offenders and care leavers. Hundreds of women we’ve supported into employment, employers, funders, current and past staff and other stakeholders gathered to thank our founder Jocelyn Hillman OBE for her phenomenal work in setting up Working Chance and leading it over the past ten years, and to meet our new Chief Executive Natasha Finlayson OBE.
Among the guests were Liz Green, Sheriff of The City of London, our patron Vicky Pryce and Baroness Bottomley, a long-standing supporter of Working Chance. Baroness Bottomley gave the first speech of the evening and spoke about why she is such a passionate supporter of our work.
The highlight of the evening was the speech given by Rachel. We started working with Rachel while she was still in prison, and have supported her through rehabilitation and into employment. In an extremely moving speech about her experiences, she spoke of how:
All that Working Chance do is reflected in my own transformative journey, from the early specialist training [in employability] right through to the genuine aftercare
Rachel’s story is a testimony to everything Working Chance has achieved and looks to achieve in the future.
With special thanks to the Goldsmiths’ Company for generously donating the use of their beautiful hall.
Take a look at what our guests had to say about Working Chance: