Jason has struggled in the past because of an ongoing condition that affects the co-ordination of signals between his brain and speech. His diagnosed condition has had a severe negative impact on him growing up, and development in his personal and work life. Unfortunately this has disrupted all of his education which inevitably is causing him difficulties with moving forward into employment.  

Jason was referred to us by his Job Centre work coach who felt the ‘Building Better Opportunities’ project would be the best fit for him as we can spend the time to support him by initially building trust with him and work towards finding a suitable pathway into volunteering and possible future employment. 

During our early stage meetings, it really came across that Jason had a real passion for bicycle mechanics and that he would be interested in following this as a career. We are lucky enough at our Cambridge site to have ‘OWL Bikes’, in our building complex, they are part of Papworth Trust and are a social enterprise working with disadvantaged and learning-disabled adults to provide work experience, skill development and leisure opportunities. 

I approached ‘OWL Bikes’ for a possible volunteering placement for Jason and they had a few 12 months bursary placements available which offered training, employability skills and development as part of the bursary and Jason was lucky enough to start one of these bursary placements back in April 2022. 

Jason says that the routine of going into the workshop is really good for his mental health and wellbeing. I can definitely see an outward development with Jason, he comes across more confident and seems focused on moving forward with his life.



Community Connections South and Community Connections Essex are funded by the European Social Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund