A 28-year-old osteogenesis imperfecta sufferer has been helped into a new role at the BBC by a Warwickshire employment charity.

Shaw Trust helped Tom Bowell, from Coleshill, who has the brittle bone disease and has been in a wheelchair since he was three, to become a production management assistant.

He is one of thousands enjoying work and independence thanks to Shaw Trust, which has seen a threefold increase in the number of people it has helping.

Mr Bowell said: “I was really nervous about moving from college to work, and I didn’t have a clue as what I wanted to do or where to start.

“Shaw Trust got me a work placement in the IT department at the NEC, at the end of which I was offered a job, and I haven’t looked back since.”

Shaw Trust has just been confirmed as the prime provider for more than half of the 28 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) contracts for the new multi million pound Work Choice programme.

The award of 16 contracts to the charity has increased its scope by threefold.

Chief executive Sally Burton said: “Work is an important part of people’s lives and everyone has the right to work.

“We know that constructive and meaningful employment can help disabled and disadvantaged people to achieve their full potential and live more independent lives. The delivery of our services under Work Choice will respond to this premise; providing a framework for employers and most importantly, making employment in communities throughout the UK a reality for our clients.

“The delivery model for Work Choice is a great example of the third sector working at the heart of local communities such as Warwickshire.”