Trinity Cheltenham opened its doors to over 200 attendees for its first job fair on 25 February, in partnership with the local Department of Work and Pension teams and Cheltenham Welcome Refugees.
Over 30 local employers put up tables and banners, and were joined by Trinity’s very own youth employability program, SPEAR, led by Chris Wagstaff and supported by the Sylvanus Lyson Trust.
Marion David, Trinity’s Operations Manager, said: “We had such a fantastic time this morning in church. The building was buzzing, most people were visibly in awe as they walked in, looking up and around and asking questions about our stained glass windows and why we had a drum booth in the corner. Someone even asked me if they could have a Bible. For many people, it was their very first time walking into a church.
“The organisers were very easy to work with, and were very keen to plan another fair here in the future. Enjoying such a prime location in the city center, with great access locally, it’s such a joy for us to be able to open our doors to our local communities, and equally for non-Christians to get a glimpse of who we are and what we stand for.”
The SPEAR team has recently expanded, with the ambition to reach young people beyond Cheltenham and Gloucester.
“It was so brilliant to have Tewkesbury, Gloucester and Cheltenham job centres at the job fair,” said Chris Wagstaff, SPEAR Cheltenham Center Manager. “Thanks to their referrals, over the last three years we’ve registered almost 300 young people into our SPEAR programme. 160 of them completed the training, and an amazing 76% are still in work or education, 12 months after completing the course. Some of those young people are now part of our church family and our community gym, The Armoury. One of our young people got baptised on Sunday.
“With events like this, we’re able to engage with more local employers, and also spread the word. We need to raise £90K every year to run the program.”
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