MUM Sara Hughes was so shocked by the struggle her son had to find a job that she has set up an initiative to help young people improve their employment prospects.

Mrs Hughes, a 54-year-old civil servant, has roped in her husband David, a volunteer advisor with the Citizens Advice Bureau, and other friends with a range of experience in commerce and business to create the Employment Prospects Improvement Club (Epic), which will meet once a fortnight in Pewsey.

Mrs Hughes, of The New Severalls in Milton Lilbourne, said: “Our son Robert was back from university last June and was trying hard to get a job and was really up against it.

“There seemed to be so few places for him to go for help and he didn’t want to become a statistic, so he ended up moving to China to teach English.

“There are a lot of young people in the same position as him who would not feel comfortable in moving so far away to get a job.”

EPIC aims to help unemployed people between the ages of 16 and 25 in Pewsey and the surrounding villages to realise their potential and improve their employability by assisting them in areas such as CV writing and interview skills.

The meetings will last for two hours and will have a guest speaker and one-on-one sessions so young people can seek help and advice from Epic volunteers.

A launch event has been organised for June 6 at The Shak behind Pewsey Leisure Centre, for young people, local businesses, youth agencies and anyone who thinks they can help to share their ideas and see what Epic is all about.

Mrs Hughes said: “There will be focus groups running throughout the launch to get input from young people. We want them to tell us what services they would like from Epic.”

The first meeting will be on Thursday, June 20, from 7-9pm and all are welcome.

Visit www.epicpewsey.org.uk