David Cameron visits Liverpool to promote social enterprises campaign

David Cameron meets staff at Home by MerseySTRIDE

Conservative leader David Cameron visited Liverpool on Tuesday as part of his campaign to promote social enterprises.

The would-be Prime Minister visited the furniture shop Home by MerseySTRIDE, on Great Homer Street, to see how the project is helpig local unemployed, homeless and disadvantaged people.

The opposition leader was introduced to various people who had been homeless until they began working at Home by MerseySTRIDE,which aims to create jobs for those in need in building furniture and repairing white household goods.

Speaking of his visit, Mr Cameron, 43, said: “The biggest thing is to build a stronger society - we've got to help people who are unemployed for a long time and social enterprises like this helps. It demonstrates where giving more power and control to projects like these works.”

Managing Director Paul Brown added: “It was great to have someone with such a high profile recognising our good work and achievements.

"Hopefully it will help raise our image and enable us to sell more furniture and create more work opportunities for local unemployed and homeless people.

"People who are in hostels can't take paid employment as the rent would be too expensive for them, so MerseySTRIDE offers volunteering opportunities which lead into paid employment when they move out of hostels.”

People from the most disadvantaged backgrounds can find employment, training and volunteering opportunities at Home by MerseySTRIDE and are usually then employed through the government initiative Future Jobs Fund for six months to give them a boost in gaining further employment, training, qualifications and work experience.

The social enterprise builds high quality, low cost furniture at approximately 60 per cent of Argos type prices.

Daniel Leonard, from Woolton, had been homeless for some time before he began working at MerseySTRIDE under the Future Jobs Fund scheme.

The 23-year-old said: “After being in the navy for eight months I went home and was kicked out so was homeless and my girlfriend was pregnant.

"I love this this place, it's sound – the job's definitely helped, I grew up and took things more seriously. My relationship with my girlfriend is definitely stronger now because I can go home and have something to talk about.”

The social enterprise, which takes on eight new staff each month and countless volunteers, provides opportunities for people from all backgrounds regardless of their skills or lack of employment even if people have had a history of alcohol or drug misuse or prior criminal records.

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