Mary Peart, lone parent, is back on track and looking forward to a bright future. A true inspiration to others,?Mary talks about how she?s done it?
?It?s up to you to make things happen, but of course, it helps to have some help along the way.?
Mary Peart, 35, of Overstone Lodge, is a single mother to two young children. Her husband ran out on her seven years ago when she was pregnant with their second child, Jhante. Mary gave up work to be a full-time mum in 2000 when her daughter was born.
Mary and her children have not had much contact with her ex as he decided not to stay in touch. He knows where they live but he never comes round. ?I am quite an open book about these things. We managed because we had to. It was a tough time as we?d made all these plans together and I gave up work, so it was really difficult financially being left alone.?
Mary has always remained optimistic though. Since leaving her job in 2000 at Boots The Chemist, Mary has keep her mind fresh and active by carrying out home studies including an Open University course in ?Understanding Health and Children? and further courses in computer literacy and IT skills. Mary was keen to get back into the world of work when her four-year-old son, Luke Anthony, started school last September.
?I was determined to do it, not just for my kids, but also for me. There is more to life than your children as one day they?ll grow up and leave home, so you need to do things for your future as well.
?However, one of the biggest barriers about getting back into work was the childcare element – it?s really expensive and doesn?t fit in with work unless you get a job in a school.?
Despite her determination, Mary was still nervous about going back to work, ?I still felt really unsure of what skills I had to offer and how I would cope in the work place. I really needed a boost, and by chance, I found out about a scheme that seemed to offer help with rebuilding confidence and refreshing job skills, after seeing an advert in a free newspaper. I was really lucky as it was the last day you could sign up ? I phoned up and got a place on the course straight away.?
The scheme offered 16 lone parents a chance to take part in the two-week mentoring course at Barclaycard?s head office. Delivered in partnership with national charity, One Parent Families, the programme is part of a wider Barclaycard initiative called Horizons seeking to help lone parents. It has been designed to boost self-confidence as well as provide practical information and support to the lone parents involved.
?If you?re feeling unsure and insecure as a lone parent, it?s great to meet others in a similar situation or to hear about their circumstances. I felt really lucky about my family life when listening to others?.
Mary explains how the two-week placement was set up. ?Each of us was paired with a ?buddy? who spent coffee breaks and lunch hours carrying out one-to-one sessions with us, offering help and support in areas we felt unsure about such as the structure of CVs.
?I was a bit nervous at first, but every day was so exciting, I didn?t know what to expect. The course staff were top and not patronising in the slightest, nor did they feel sorry for you being a lone parent.
?My ?buddy? was Mark Edwards, general counsel for Barclaycard, and he was great at helping me to increase the confidence I had lost after six years away from the working world. He was a great guy ? a real diamond! And the sessions covered many different aspects of working life including flexible-working opportunities, how to fund childcare, CV writing ? all the elements of returning to work that seem so daunting when you?ve been out of touch for so long.?
Mark describes the positive influence the course had on Mary: ?When I first met Mary, she came across as very quiet and I found myself doing most of the talking and questioning.
?But within just a couple of days the change was really dramatic ? her whole demeanour was 10 times more confident and she had begun to appreciate and recognise the skills she had to offer to an employer, of which she has many! My role was simply to encourage her to be more self-confident and help to bring out the best of her abilities.?
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When speaking of the course, it is evident that Mary truly believes in her ability to reach her aim of improving her financial security. ?Those two weeks have given me such a confidence boost and changed my attitude to work completely.
?My buddy Mark has been a great support and has helped me to recognise my achievements, enabling me to write a CV that I can be really proud of.?
Mary?s positive ?can do? attitude has also encouraged her to have long-term career aspirations.
Since doing the course, Mary has completed her Certificate in Business Practice at Trefham College, Wellingborough, which she hopes will help her on her way to achieving her ultimate goal, which is to run her own business.
?I?d love to set up a company that offers something different, something that nobody has done yet, perhaps using my knowledge of health awareness.?
Mary has already applied for a couple of jobs and got one in the human resources department at the General Hospital, part time.