Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined Watford MP Dean Russell for a visit to local charity Watford Workshop.
The charity is the only employment project in Hertfordshire that provides work experience, skills development, independent life skills training and employment for people aged between 16 and 80 with physical, mental, and sensory disabilities and/or learning difficulties. The Prime Minister joined Dean as they took part in a range of activities alongside service users.
Based in Century Retail Park, the charity opened in 1964 and moved into their current purpose-built premises in 2001. Nearly 70 service-users attend the Workshop each week from Hertfordshire and surrounding counties.
The Workshop prides itself in giving adults with a disability a chance to work when no one else will. For those who wish to move into mainstream employment, the Workshop will give them all the help they need to accomplish their goal. For those who wish to stay, the Workshop will provide them with a placement for as long as wish to stay.
Following the visit Dean said “As a Patron of the charity I always speak so highly of Watford Workshop. They give their service users employment, but also a purpose and a reason to get out of bed in the morning. They are able to create and develop relationships, whilst learning vital life skills such as literacy, numeracy, money management, IT and cooking.
"At Watford Workshop they are able to flourish and be part of an important workforce. I would like to thank the Prime Minister for taking the time to visit, I know he really enjoyed being able to sit down time to chat with some of the service users over a cup of tea.”
Watford Workshop said “We were delighted to welcome Boris Johnson and introduce him to our amazing service users. His time here allowed him to see just how much a job means to an adult with a disability. It was also a fantastic opportunity to understand how a job can really open up someone’s world, helping them to develop social skills, expand friendship groups and combat loneliness and isolation.”
