Deirdre O’ Quigley, 46 was emotionally depressed for a long period of time because she had two bereavements in her family as well as being made redundant in August 2008.

She was at a very low point in her life when she started on the Pathways to work (26/11/08) provision at TNG. Deirdre’s Personal Adviser started with an action plan that proved very difficult as she never thought about going back to work. She completed a skills and interests questionnaire to help identify what type of roles would be suitable for her. A referral was then made to CMP to initially help Dee to cope with her condition better.

Her personal Adviser carried out an in work calculation which demonstrated that Dee would be financially better off working at least 16hrs per week. She was referred to a placement to work within a charity shop because Dee was particularly interested in working for Cancer Research given that her sister had died from this disease. At this stage she was keen on finding a job and a job search was conducted, although her Adviser felt she was not ready to go back to work.

Following on a job placement was found at Cancer Research and after carefully considering the position Deidre accepted the position. She enjoyed the placement, that she believed was worthwhile, also helping her to focus on something else and feeling more positive about her abilities.

Her Adviser also arranged some basic IT skills with Learn Direct. However, during this period she received some bad news in relation to a family member. This made her distraught and this subsequently led her to have a panic attack. Dee had a 2 week break and started feeling emotional again; so extra support was given to her during this period.

With the ongoing help from her Adviser, Deidre managed to overcome challenges she faced. More so due to her determination a job was secured at Waitrose in Stamford that she thoroughly enjoys and is now in sustained employment.

"TNG saved me during a really difficult time and I am ever so grateful for all the support and advice I received".

Deirdre attended the TNG offices in Stamford