• North-East housing association Bernicia has teamed up with local charity The Recruitment Junction to get people with convictions into work. The six-month project will allow the Newcastle-based charity to work intensively with an extra 20 former offenders who are hoping to find work and move on with their lives in a productive way, while helping regional employers fill job vacancies.

The £10k project is part of Bernicia’s wider £2m employability programme aimed at creating job opportunities for communities where its tenants live. This investment will contribute towards funding a specialist support worker who will assist 20 men and women from across Northumberland, Tyneside and Wearside to find full-time or part-time employment.