TORY peer Baroness Warsi, officially Britain’s most powerful Muslim woman, was the guest of honour at the Oxford Mail Banbury Job Fair yesterday.

Scores of people descended on the event at Banbury Town Hall, in Bridge Street, which marked the first combined job fair and job club.

People were able to see what jobs were on offer as well as get advice about finding employment, benefits and training.

As well as job hunting, visitors also got a chance to meet Baroness Warsi – the Conservative Party's shadow minister for community cohesion and social action – and North Oxfordshire MP Tony Baldry.

Among the organisations represented were the Armed Services, Thames Valley Police, Oxford & Cherwell Valley College, Fresh Direct, local recruitment agencies and Oxford Business Enterprise.

Organiser Belinda Rand, a sales manager for the Oxford Mail’s parent company Newsquest Oxfordshire, hailed the job fair as a great success.

She said: “We had 22 exhibitors — double what we had last year.

“Lots of people were talking and taking advice, and that’s what it’s all about.”

District councillor Kieron Mallon, executive member for communications, said: “This job fair had been booked for some time and we decided to combine the job fair and job club.”

He said the job club, the brainchild of Mr Baldry, had been mooted in Parliament as an idea that could be rolled out across the country.

Baroness Warsi was the second senior politician to visit the area — Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Theresa May was in Banbury last month.

Mr Mallon added: “We had a visit from Baroness Warsi to see if Banbury can do this why can’t other areas in the country do this.

“We are seen as a model for others to follow.

“Banbury has been hit hard by the recession, particularly manufacturing and retail.

“This event offers people complete support in seeking employment, training or benefits advice.”

Banbury job club, the first in Oxfordshire, runs every Friday at the Mill Arts Centre, in Spiceball Park.