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Gloucestershire Business News

Gloucester man wins ‘Pride of M&S award’

A Gloucester man is celebrating winning the Marks & Start Award at the 18th annual Pride of M&S Awards.

Nicholas Walker, 23, picked up the award, which acknowledges young people who have been at a disadvantage getting into the workplace.

The M&S Marks & Start programme works with four charity partners, The Princes Trust, Remploy, BITC and Gingerbread to help disadvantaged members of the community find work.

Foodhall Customer Assistant Nicholas has worked for M&S for over two years and has become an inspiration for young people who struggle with mental health. Nicholas has severe epilepsy, left school at 16, suffering with depression and low self-esteem. After joining a youth group in Gloucester, he took up a Marks & Start placement at M&S through Remploy, which aims to help young people get back into the workplace and give them the skills they need to kick-start their career. Nick was offered a full-time position shortly after his four-week placement and, despite facing a host of mental and physical challenges, he has become an integral member of the team with aspirations to become a manager within the store.

Nicholas said: "As a young person entering the workplace for the first time, struggling with mental health feels like a huge barrier. Winning the Pride of M&S Award means so much to me - I left school with one GSCE and working for Marks & Spencer felt so out of my reach. My Marks & Start programme has been crucial in giving me the skills and confidence I needed to get back into the workforce and I hope that I can inspire young people to follow in my footsteps. My placement not only helped me to recognise I can overcome work-related challenges, but helped me to achieve personal goals and I can't thank my team at M&S Gloucester enough for supporting me all the way."

Mike Barry, M&S Plan A Director, said: "The Pride of M&S Awards are a great way for us to recognise some very special colleagues who really go above and beyond to help each other and those in their local communities. We're very proud of Nick and his fellow winners who came from across the UK to join us for a celebratory evening. It was great to be joined by Ruby Wax who kicked the night off with a fantastic mindfulness session and finished with a comedic set that ended the night on a real high for all involved."

Comedian Ruby Wax made a guest appearance at the black-tie ceremony, at which the deserving winners were welcomed to the stage to be awarded a £100 gift card and a £1,000 donation from M&S to a charity of their choice.

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