Sian Sets the Bar - Thanks to BEST

To watch Sian Makepeace at work in the Cafe Bar of the magnificent new Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield it’s obvious she is very happy in her work – meeting and serving the many visitors the Hepworth has welcomed since its opening earlier this year.

Yet this 44 year old mother of four and grandmother to 7 month old Logan, had her sights set on being a lawyer or barrister when leaving school - going on to build a successful career as a legal executive before family circumstances brought her to Yorkshire and a complete change of lifestyle:-

“I thoroughly enjoyed the work but legal work at that level can involve long hours and sometimes stressful deadlines. Though I felt more than competent to find a job, I needed one to suit my personal needs – work/life balance if you like....” says Sian.

Putting her troubled background of worry, illness and relationship breakdown firmly behind her, and with the support of her four children, Sian walked into her local Job Centre:-

“My self confidence had been shot to pieces” she says “but I’d heard about the Government’s new Work Programme initiative and asked about it; the lady said ‘Work Programme? We only introduced it three days ago so you’ll be one of the first to sign on and start the interview process!’ “

Sian was directed to BEST’s Wakefield office, part of the BEST group which this year was successful in its bid to win the Work Programme contract for West Yorkshire.

Says Sian:-

“I was a nervous wreck before the meeting, but kept telling myself I’d worked since I was fourteen, been successful in my legal career and I could do it all again. I met with Sara Walker and John Fell at BEST. Lovely, lovely people! Normal, nice human beings, not patronising in any way and made me feel so relaxed – giving me the confidence to hold my head high again....”

John Fell says BEST have a good relationship with The Hepworth and he immediately spotted the fit between the Gallery and Sian:-

“The Hepworth’s customer criteria are very specific and Sian Makepeace was the ideal candidate. We even arranged a half day work shadow so Sian could get an understanding of the company – also giving the employer an opportunity to speak with Sian”.

Catering at The Hepworth is contracted to The Lindley Group, one of the UK’s leading catering groups whose clients include 50 Premier Football League clubs together with sports venues, museums, historic homes and visitor attractions across the UK. Standards are extremely high and Bianca Cawkwell, General Manager at the Cafe Bar, says Sian’s appointment was perfect:-

“She’s friendly, very positive and a nice person who works well under pressure. We have two other staff members who came via BEST and we’ve been really lucky and extremely happy with the calibre of people BEST send to us. I’d recommend BEST to both employers and job seekers....

And the future for Sian?

“I’ve no future plans as yet and am happy to focus on the here and now. I needed a healthy work/life balance and thanks to BEST and The Hepworth I’ve got exactly that!” “BEST was the perfect recipe for me. They didn’t just find me a job; they changed my life!”