Chiltern Friend for Special People is a small local Charity, based in Amersham, Bucks, which raises funds to cover those items which are no longer provided by Local or National Government. Whilst the Committee is very effective, it was realised that in this modern day a website was a necessity, and some professional PR support would raise the profile. No member had these skills, and budgets were not available, so voluntary help was needed.

CFSP turned to Skilled People to see if we could find them someone who would be willing to invest some of their time to help them in these two important areas. Suitably qualified registered members responded to a small featured ad, and we were able to provide CFSP with the details of two members who were highly qualified in their fields and willing to help out.

As a result, Chiltern Friends now has an operational website, and the support and guidance of a PR professional.

Vic Faulkner, Chairman of Chiltern Friends for Special People says "We are really delighted that Skilled People was able to help us find Volunteers to support these two important areas - in particular, we found that the experience and maturity of the two individuals enabled them to understand our requirements and to put forward refreshing new ideas which have substantially raised our profile."

ADS Research Solutions specialises in providing manual counting facilities to aid retailers and shopping centres in measuring the potential of a new store location or to gain an insight into how an existing store is performing compared to other stores in the area or further afield.

Their clients include Marks & Spencer, Next, Footfall Ltd and RCT Shoppertrack among others.

The company approached Skilled People.com because they wanted to recruit people whom they could rely upon to turn up on time and undertake the work conscientiously.

Commenting on their relationship with Skilled People.com, Andy Sykes, Managing Director of ADS Research, says: "Our advertisement on Skilled People.com has provided us with a steady stream of quality candidates for our Pedestrian Traffic Enumerator vacancies. We have found this site to be an extremely economic way of attracting well educated people who are reliable and have a great work ethic. I would strongly recommend Skilled People to any research agency looking for reliable researchers."

Research work of this type is extremely popular with the jobseekers who register with Skilled People. Member Joan says " When you are over 50 jobs like this are ideal - stimulating, open air work which you can take up as and when it suits."

For more information on ADS Research vacancies mail admin@skilledpeople.com.

 

Chris ran his family Heating and Ventilation business for many years. When it became obvious that his son was more interested in forging a career in music, rather than taking on the business, he decided to find a buyer who would maintain the goodwill that had been built up over the years.

It took a while to find someone suitable, but eventually the business was absorbed into a larger organisation. Chris was asked stay on with a short term contract, to make sure that the handover went smoothly.

When his contract ended Chris was just sixty, and although wanting to wind down and spend some leisure time with his new wife, he was not ready for full retirement. After reviewing a number of jobs for the over 50''s, he managed to get a position with a Certification company carrying out inspections for the trade association of the industry he had been in all his life.

"This role is great. It gives me total flexibility, as I can arrange appointments at times to suit my leisure and holiday requirements. " says a very relaxed Chris.

John took early retirement from his job as a Telecommunications Manager with a major company. Bored with retirement, and needing to earn some extra cash to pay for holidays, he found a part time job as a delivery driver for a commercial photographer.

He says: "I was lucky to find this job, as my employers are very flexible and allow me to work when I want to. This enables me to fit in visits to those countries which have always been on my wish list. Better still, I have no responsibilities or corporate pressure to contend with."

His employer says " John is an asset to the Company. Totally reliable, conscientious, flexible, and capable of acting on his own initiative. We are more than happy to cater for his occasional absence on his forays abroad in order to maintain his services, which we value highly. Our previous experiences with younger employees in this role have been an unmitigated disaster!"

John has now extended his work commitments to include framing pictures for his employer and acting as a Steward at a major sporting venue - so he is no longer bored!.