AN OXFORD charity which helps homeless people find work has seen its bid to win a share of £1.6m of social enterprise funding take a big step forward.

Aspire Oxfordshire was set up 10 years ago with the aim of helping people living rough get back into steady employment.

The Park End Street organisation, which was officially registered as a charity in 2003, runs a gardening business, which employs a dozen former homeless people.

Aspire Oxfordshire recently applied to the Government-backed organisation Spark for funding and advice on a project to create a market garden operation in Burford to expand its activities.

Last night, it emerged that the initiative was one of 15 short-listed schemes out of 140 applications, and had been promised financial backing for its idea by the organisation.

Aspire Oxfordshire chief executive Jenny Fox said that being selected meant the charity would receive free advice from accountants to help it develop a business plan for the market garden scheme.

Homeless people would grow fruit, vegetable and flowers at the garden and sell them to the public, she said.

Ms Fox has been invited to present the business plan to a Spark panel in June, with the aim of securing a six-figure sum for its project from the £1.6m available.

The charity has already been told that the panel will donate at least £5,000.

Ms Fox said yesterday: “It’s a huge boost.

“It’s probably the most significant thing which has happened to us, because it puts us on the map as a project that’s taken seriously at Government level.”

For more information about Aspire Oxfordshire and its activities, call its office on 01865 204450.