Making a fresh start
11:44am Monday 28th January 2008
Innovative charity scheme enables mum-of-four to set up own business There are some days when mother-of-four Diane Charlett's back pain is so bad she is unable to get out of bed and others when she can't walk or even stand up straight.
Diane, who lives in Bicester with her scaffolder husband Martin, is one of millions who suffer from a disability that leave them unable to work in a normal nine-to-five job.
Her spine problems started after she had her eldest daughter, Letoya, 18, and became steadily worse after the births of her other three children Kyran, 17, Sharnia, 16, and Mason, 13.
"I can't stand or sit in one position for too long and I never know when I am going to be laid up so I don't think there is any type of job that would suit my needs," she explained.
"I am used to dealing with it so I try to just get on with things and take each day as it comes," she added.
Now, thanks to the Ready to Start programme run by the disability charity Leonard Cheshire, Diane, 37, has just launched her own business, Simply Charlett, selling adult clothing, toys and novelties.
"I used to be a party planner for Ann Summers and really enjoyed it and it made me think Why not do this for myself?' she said.
"Being self-employed means I can work at my own pace and go to people's houses for the parties in the evenings when I am usually feeling at my best."
Diane went to Banbury Job Centre and was put in touch with the Leonard Cheshire regional co-ordinator covering Oxfordshire, Beccy Clacy, who came to her home and interviewed her.
"Beccy talked me through how the Ready to Start system works, and I just thought it was fantastic because you get so much support," she said.
"She paired me up with a business buddy and if I come across anything I am unsure of, they are there to talk it through and bounce ideas off.
"I can also email or phone Beccy any time and there is a little bit of financial support too. I used mine to pay for liability insurance," Diane added.
Diane already has a number of parties under her belt and more booked. Her husband drives her to the party host's house and carries her equipment in.
He then collects her at the end and reloads everything back into their car.
She plans to do two or three parties a week, but once her business is established hopes to increase that to five or six.
"Further into the future, I'd like to recruit other people to work for me," she said.
"It feels great to have been given a chance like this," she added. "With the backing I have, I know I can really make a go of it."
Half of all disabled people of working age are not employed and for a large number, setting up their own business is the only way to find financial independence and a flexible working environment, according to leading charity Leonard Cheshire.
Working in partnership with Barclays, the organisation, which supports 21,000 disabled people in the UK, is operating Ready to Start, an initiative aimed at encouraging and helping disabled people to become self-employed.
The £3m three-year project is centred on 27 towns and cities around the country, including Oxford and Banbury, where it was launched last February.
The idea is to provide training in key business skills and to give each client his or her own dedicated business buddy who can act as a mentor.
"The client is given their business buddy's telephone number and e-mail and if they have a problem or question they can contact them ad hoc rather than having to wait for pre-scheduled appointments," explained regional coordinator for Ready to Start, Beccy Clacy. "It is this supportive element that makes the programme so different to anything available from other enterprise agencies," she added.
To find out more visit the website: http://www.readytostart.org.uk or contact Beccy Clacy on 01295 722604 or 07738 034115.