Christmas came early for many young people in the Wells area as they attended a 'Kickstart Your Christmas' jobs fair at The Bishop's Palace in December.

The Kickstart Scheme is for 16- to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit and supplies funding to employers to create job opportunities. The jobs fair was organised by Julia and Sue from Wells Job Centre, who invited local young people to meet local employers, including The Wild Beer Company, Extra Mile Printing, B&M, Project Autumn, and Filbert's Fine foods, at an event held at The Bishop's Palace.

And Bishop's Palace's Kickstart employee, Josh, who has been working as an Assistant Gardener, also made an appearance at the Jobs Fair via a short video displaying his duties within the gardens. Next month Josh will be leaving The Palace to start a full-time job in grounds maintenance locally. It's been an inspirational journey and one he encourages others to try "Go ahead, do it. You don't know if you like it until you try it."

The event has already proven to be a real success, leading to eighteen second interviews for the young people who attended. Siobhan Goodwin, Community Engagement Manager at The Bishop's Palace comments:

'It was great to see so many young people coming to meet the employers and we are delighted to have been able to support the staff at Wells Job Centre by providing a suitable venue. The Kickstart Scheme has certainly proved to be an incredibly positive experience for Josh so we are keen to offer another opportunity to a local young person in 2022."