Just the job

Clinically dead when he arrived at hospital, he was revived, but had head injuries, two punctured lungs and seven fractured ribs - injuries that left him unconscious for seven weeks.

Despite making a miraculous recovery, he and his family feared he would never work again.

But B&H Industries, changed all that.

"I was a saw doctor in a workshop before the accident, and enjoyed it, but I knew I could not go back to it " said Mr Young, now 50.

"I had been left with partial paralysis of my right hand, short term memory loss and no sense of smell.

"Even so, I was lucky, because I was alive. In 1981, I came to B&H Industries, in Oxford, which not only taught me new skills, but also made me new friends and even introduced me to my wife Karen.

"Now it has also led to a job I love, as driver with the Oxford Bus Company."

Situated in the Oxford Business Centre in Osney Lane, B&H Industries turns sheets of printed paper into booklets and leaflets, and assembles mailings and binds reports for many businesses inside and outside the county, such as Oxfam.

The company's origins go back to the late 1940s, when it was set up by Oxford City Council to provide work for disabled servicemen.

In the years immediately after the war, the number of ex-servicemen needing work dropped, but the business was kept up to help people with physical disabilities, mental illness problems and those needing rehabilitation after accidents.

The workshops and services expanded and in 1974, with the re-organisation of local government, it came under the responsibility of the county council, which along with the government and revenue generated by the business, still provide its financial support today.

Manager Barry Parsons said: "We have a workforce of 18 people at the moment, made up of men and women, from their 20s to their 50s.

"Some people come to us for short term paid and unpaid work experience, to ease them back into work. Some people have worked here for 30 years. But all have the same employment rights as anyone else.

"We have 11 employment advisors working around the county and many people come to us via them.

"And as well as giving people practical skills, and interaction with other people in a work environment, the most important job of the company is to give people back their self-esteem and confidence.

"Some people come to us having never worked, or having been out of work for a very long time. To see them regain their confidence is very rewarding for all the staff."

Mr Young was a print finisher at B&H for 24 years, but has now started work as a staff driver for the Oxford Bus Company.

"I've always wanted to be a driver and feel very grateful to B&H for making it possible," he said.

Peter Walton, 49, from Wood Farm, was also involved in an horrific motorcycle accident, the week after Mr Young.

The pair ended up in neighbouring hospital beds and a year later, met up again when they started working for B&H Industries.

Before his accident, Mr Walton had a job he loved in a timber yard.

But his accident severed his optical nerve, and at just 18 years of age he was left completely blind and without strength in his right arm.

"After I went blind I had to stop working at the timber yard, for obvious reasons," he said.

"I was doing a rehabilitation course when my social worker told me about this job. I have been working here now for 27 years.

"I collate books, do mailing, fold books together and fill envelopes."

Mr Walton said it took him 10 years to get over his accident, but that now he regards himself as one of the lucky ones.

"I can still walk, talk and hear," he said. "I like my job here. It has made me confident and also given me some great friends."

Anyone with a disability or a long term health problem, who is looking to get back to work, can contact County Print Finishers on 01865 791606 or email countyprintfinishers@oxfordshire.gov.uk