On Friday 24 November, Hornchurch & Upminster MP, Julia Lopez, formally presented to local resident and charity founder, Greg Mangham, his Points of Light certificate after being recognised by the Prime Minister earlier this year.
Every weekday since 2014, UK Prime Ministers have awarded outstanding and inspirational volunteers across the UK with a Point of Light award in recognition of their impact in changing lives, communities and inspiring others to start their own initiatives.
In September, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recognised Hornchurch resident Greg Mangham with a Points of Light Award for his commitment to helping those facing homelessness, prison leavers and veterans into good, secure jobs within the hospitality industry. On Friday, Julia Lopez MP formally presented Greg with his award at the Windmill Pub in Upminster Bridge hosted by Greene King pubs, a partner employer of Greg’s charity, Only A Pavement Away.
After working in the sector for 50 years, Greg and his wife Gill, established Only A Pavement Away in 2018 after noticing a rise in homelessness alongside the growing staffing needs of the hospitality industry. Rather than enjoying the fruits of his labour in retirement, Greg put his contacts to work and brought leading companies within the industry together with charities supporting people at risk of homelessness. Working in partnership with the charitable sector and employers, Only A Pavement Away acts as a conduit to employment through its bespoke free jobs board and training programme.
Only A Pavement Away then supports clients through the job process with detailed assessments of each individual, training courses, interview preparation and providing post-engagement support for a whole year.
With partnerships with over 100 employers, including Greene King Pubs, Only A Pavement Away has supported over 430 members into work and the charity has bold ambitions to help place 1,000 people back into work by the end of 2024. Via their ‘A Seat at the Table’ programme, the charity is also providing a female mentorship programme to support women into hospitality careers.
For more information on Only A Pavement Away, visit www.onlyapavementaway.co.uk
Commenting, Greg Mangham, Founder of Only A Pavement Away, said:
“Receiving the Points of Light Award is a great accolade for both the team, and everyone involved in helping to make Only A Pavement Away was it is. The ethos and values of the charity mirror those of the industry we work in. The hospitality industry, no matter what the concept maybe, believe that it is always part of the communities it works in.
To date we have placed over 430 Members into work adding over c£12.5 million to the community, this is in addition to the 1600 we have helped with their CV,s and returning to independent living.
When Gill came up with the idea in 2018 we never envisaged the charity growing so quickly, we owe so much to those who have supported us and especially to the hospitality businesses we work with.”
Julia Lopez, Hornchurch and Upminster MP, said:
“I have very much been looking forward to presenting Greg with this richly deserved award. Having a stable job can bring immense value to individuals and the families they support, not just in the form of income, but also from increased social mobility and the dignity that work provides. Greg should be enormously proud that through his efforts he has changed the life chances of over 400 individuals. I am glad that the Prime Minister has recognised the contribution that Greg has made to society and I hope that Greg will take a moment to reflect on and enjoy in this success.
I would also like to thank Greene King Pubs for their partnering with this fantastic charity and for hosting us last week.”
Nick Mackenzie, CEO at Greene King said:
“This award is thoroughly deserved, and is testament to the passion, energy and dedication that Greg and the team at Only a Pavement Away have for providing second chances to those who really want to turn their lives around. We see first-hand through our partnership and as part of our Releasing Potential programme, the difference that the support they provide can make to someone who just needs that helping hand to get them over the hurdles of finding work so they can start to build and develop a meaningful career in hospitality.”
