“Smart Works represents the spirit of Greater Manchester” declares Mayor Andy Burnham, as charity launches Christmas ‘Big Give’ campaign

Smart Works Greater Manchester, the charity that exists to give unemployed women the confidence and the skills they need to secure employment, is asking the city’s business community to dig deep and support its Christmas ‘Big Give’ campaign following a corporate partner breakfast event at its new city centre location in Holyoake House.

Attended by partner organisations and prospective donors, the audience heard from Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Sarah Welsh, CEO of Retail at N Brown, one of the charity’s biggest supporters, Rose Marley, CEO of Co-Operatives UK, which operates Holyoake House, and Jan Iceton, Board Chair at Smart Works Greater Manchester and Victoria Cronquist, Head of Smart Works Greater Manchester, about how the charity is supporting women across Greater Manchester to build their confidence to reach their full potential and secure employment.

To continue this success, the event also launched Smart Work’s Christmas ‘Big Give’ campaign, which runs from 28th November to 5th December when the charity can access matched funding on corporate donations up to the value of £50,000. The donation drive has been kickstarted by long-term supporter, AJ Bell, who provided the anchor funding to secure participation for the charity in the campaign, with further donations also achieved from long-standing supporter Chubb and a donation facilitated by Sigma Capital Group.

Smart Works Greater Manchester is an independent, volunteer-led charity operating from two centres in Greater Manchester and is part of a wider network of 11 Smart Work’s across the UK, each supporting unemployed women to access employment through career coaching, styling guidance and one-to-one interview training.

Since opening in 2015, its two centres in Greater Manchester have supported 4,000 clients with job search and interview preparation services. Its clients across Greater Manchester are women from all backgrounds, with 41% lone parents, 42% ethnic minority and 20% identifying as having a disability. Smart Works helps to break down the barriers to employment that exist for these women and support, empower, and inspire them to succeed.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, said: “What Smart Works are doing to support women in unemployment here in Greater Manchester is so important. Helping people gain the confidence and the practical skills to get good jobs not only empowers them, but also paves the way for a workforce that is properly representative of the diverse experiences, abilities, and perspectives that exist right across our city-region”.

“It’s great to see the support that’s already come in from the business community for their Big Give campaign, and I would encourage everyone to get involved and help Smart Works make a real difference this Christmas.”

Jan Iceton, Smart Works Greater Manchester, added: “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our corporate partners across the city in helping us to get our second Greater Manchester centre up and running. As seen through the significant number of women we have already supported, there is clearly a real need for our services which is why we are now asking more businesses to get involved and ensure the long-term future of Smart Works in the city. If you’re able to help, or know someone who might be able to, then please do get in touch with us as we’d love to work with as many organisations with a base in the city region as possible to support us, helping us to reach as many unemployed women as we can.”

Smart Works Greater Manchester is looking for donations between £1,000 and £5,000 to help continue the vital work they are doing for the women of Greater Manchester. Businesses that are interested in donating to Smart Works please contact [email protected]