PHYSICALLY disabled young people at Treloar College in Alton have won support from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons to help gain valuable work experience.

The Hampshire-based charity for young people with complex physical disabilities is receiving £50,775 for a new work experience officer.

The officer will arrange work placements for all students able to benefit from them. This may include going into voluntary or paid employment with the aim of boosting confidence and skills for the future.

The grant from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by freemasons, their families and friends from across England and Wales.

The work experience officer is part of the transition team at Treloar’s. The cost of this department is more than £220,000 per year, which is funded solely through voluntary donations.

Young disabled people are almost half as likely as their non-disabled peers to be in employment – 46-and-a-half per cent compared to 84 per cent, according to a 2016 report from the Papworth Trust. Indeed, 44.3 per cent of working-age disabled people are without a job. This figure is nearly four times higher than for non-disabled people (11-and-a-half per cent).

In thanking the masons for their generosity, Treloar principal Martin Ingram said: “We are very grateful to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons for their generous grant. It will help give our students confidence and develop skills and experience for the future.”

Mike Wilks, provincial grand master for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons, said: “We are very pleased to be able to support the Treloar Trust, which does outstanding work in giving young disabled people in our community the chance to experience the world of work.”