Employment charity Tomorrow's People celebrates 25th Anniversary at Merseyside reception

Unemployment on Merseyside is rising. The situation is set to worsen considerably over the coming months and there is no doubt that local people will find it increasingly hard to get and keep a job. No one is more conscious of this than national employment charity Tomorrow's People, which has been delivering employment services to local people for over a decade. Since it began operating in Merseyside in 1999, Tomorrow's People has helped over 5,000 people on their journey back to work.

This year, the charity also celebrates its 25th anniversary and will be holding a series of events across the country in each of the locations it delivers employment services - the first of our regional celebrations took place on Wednesday 4th March at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral and was well attended by supporters and partner organisations.

Unfortunately, these celebrations will be tinged with a sense of foreboding about the challenges that face local economies like Merseyside and we have challenged ourselves to make sure we do all we can for local people so that they manage any period of economic inactivity in a way which is relevant and meaningful and which ensures that, when the economy picks up, they are in the best possible shape to take the jobs that become available. At the 25th anniversary event the charity launched an exciting fundraising initiative designed to help overcome the challenging economic times we are facing

The Community Employment Bond for Merseyside will enable Tomorrow's People to help local people like Ian McGhee through difficult times. Ian is a former Tomorrow's People client from the Wirral and knows personally the effect of unemployment. However, with the charity's help, he won a 2008 Award for Achievement at the Tomorrow's People annual awards ceremony for his fantastic efforts in overcoming his barriers to employment and finding a job. There are a lot more people like Ian who deserve our help and the Community Employment Bond will enable us do something positive for the people of Merseyside.

Tomorrow's People is a national charity, with a 25-year track record of success in helping people out of long-term unemployment, welfare dependency, and into jobs and self-sufficiency. Since 1984, the charity has helped change the lives of more than 400,000 people across the UK who had been resigned to long-term, even life-long, unemployment.