Our wonderful colleague Lesley Caldwell is going from strength to strength after getting her "perfect job" at our Coleraine store.
Lesley, who has learning disabilities, was helped by Triangle Supported Employment as she successfully completed a work placement before securing a job as a personal shopper picking items for customers who shop online eight years ago.
Her mum Elizabeth says working for Asda his making a huge difference to Lesley's confidence.
Elizabeth said: "Asda have done wonders for Lesley. They have made her a much more confident person. She is more happy and content in herself now. She often talks about her friends from work."
Being a personal shopper is the perfect job for Lesley, according to Elizabeth.
She said: "She absolutely loves shopping. She does all the shopping at home, does her nan's shopping too and then goes to work and shops for other people!"
Lesley says she loves working for Asda. She said: "Working in Asda is fantastic. All the colleagues here are so lovely and it’s great being part of a team. It also gives me financial independence.
"I would say to anyone looking for work to just go for it and do your best!"
Tracey Steele, Triangle employment officer, says it's been great to see how Lesley has progressed since she started working with us.
She said: "Asda have been fantastic with Lesley – we can't thank them enough.
"Lesley's confidence has just grown and grown since she has been with Asda – especially with her interactions with colleagues, managers and myself. She is now more confident and comfortable in her surroundings.
"She did have some difficulties adapting to any changes, but as her confidence has grown she has dealt with changes so much better. To look at her you would not think she has a learning disability at all.
"She loves her job as it gives her financial independence as well, so she can afford nice things such as going on holiday.
"We are so happy to see that Lesley is still enjoying her role as much as when she started – and we would like to thank all the colleagues at Asda Coleraine for making this such a brilliant journey for her.
"Triangle aims to provide individuals like Lesley, the opportunity to gain a routine, structure and most importantly more independence to their lives.
“We continue to assist Lesley throughout her career with Asda, via one-to-one coaching support to help her make the most of her employment. It is always rewarding to hear such a successful story like Lesley’s and we wish her the best of luck!”
Lesley's line manager, E-Commerce Supervisor Philip Findlay, said: "Lesley is a really valued member of our team here and we are very proud of her. She does not let her learning disabilities affect her at work at all.
"She is very hardworking, very meticulous in her work and is always on time. She just gets her head down and gets on with things.
"She is happy to embrace any changes and we are always there to support her in any way. I meet up with her Tracey every four weeks just to check that everything is okay. It's a good relationship that we have.
"We have changed our system recently so when you are picking a product there is now a picture, so I think that has been a big help for Lesley.
"Lesley is very quiet but has a very good relationship with her colleagues – she is an important part of the team."
Triangle Supported Employment, a service provided by Triangle Housing Association, has over 22 years’ experience delivering employment services to individuals with learning disabilities. Triangle currently supports over 230 jobseekers across Northern Ireland, not only assisting them to find employment, but also by providing on-going assistance through its supported employment model.
