Only A Pavement Away expands to the North and Scotland

An industry charity supporting people facing homelessness and helping them find employment in hospitality has expanded north to cover Scotland and Manchester.

Only A Pavement Away is on a mission to develop the infrastructure and resourcing to operate UK-wide, with this next move marking a significant step in achieving this ambition. 

Building on the organisation's presence in London and the south of England, where it has helped almost 500 people rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society, the charity is establishing itself in the North as its services continue to grow across the UK. 

Charity CEO and founder, Greg Mangham, visited Edinburgh and Aberdeen earlier this year to assess the viability of expanding into Scotland. The transition has been bolstered by the onboarding of two new relationship managers in Manchester and one in Scotland. This has been vital in the provision of support to people across the country who are facing hardship. 

Learning Kitchen

Also supporting the expansion into Scotland is the launch of a Learning Kitchen within HMP Grampian, helping people in custody develop the skills to work in professional kitchens upon their release. The 'Kitchen Training Academy' is the result of a partnership between HMP Grampian and pub operator Greene King, with funding provided by Aberdeenshire Council and ongoing candidate support from the charity. 

The initiative will see HMP Grampian and Greene King deliver training and development opportunities to people in custody, while Greene King provides employment opportunities to candidates on release. Only A Pavement Away will ensure that the candidates making the transition to employment are work-ready and supported within their new role, with regular check-ins in place and ongoing training opportunities offered. 

Charity CEO and founder, Greg Mangham, comments: "We are thrilled to be taking steps to broaden our network and build our incredible team, helping us to offer as much support as possible to those facing homelessness across the UK. 

"Support from great referral charities and employer partners that operate in regions where we are growing our infrastructure, is vital for us to continue to offer our services to more communities.

"With this in mind, I would like to offer a big thank you to Greene King. Expanding into Scotland and Manchester is a huge moment for us, but this really is just the stat. Please do get in touch if you believe you can help Only A Pavement Away."

You may also be interested in…