Thetford man secures dream charity job

A YOUNG man from near Thetford has beaten more than 1,000 applicants to secure his dream job with a nearby charity.

A YOUNG man from near Thetford has beaten more than 1,000 applicants to secure his dream job with a nearby charity.

Ben O'Hanlon, 26, will spend two months working for St Nicholas Hospital Care, a charity which provides specialist care to people with life threatening illness.

The placement is one of 500 offered nationwide through the Vodafone Foundation's 209 World of Difference UK Programme.

This gives 500 people throughout the country the opportunity to work for a charity of their choice, and pays each winner �2,500, after tax and national insurance.

Mr O'Hanlon, from Feltwell, who swill spend time on a variety of IT tasks including re-designing the hospice's website and hopes to give something back to the charity through his work.

“This is a great opportunity,” he said. “I hope to launch my career in the third sector, whilst undertaking projects that will provide a real benefit to St Nicholas Hospice and the community it serves.”

Mr O'Hanlon began his placement on Monday and hopes to launch a career in the third sector at the end of his placement.

He chose St Nicholas Hospital Care after his grandfather spent time there during a battle with cancer.

“I was away in Australia at the time but heard very good feed back from my family that the care was very good and he was very comfortable and I wanted to try to give something back to them,” he said.”

More than 1,100 applicants vied for a place with their chosen charity and Mr O'Hanlon spent an agonising two-months waiting to hear if he had been successful.

He will now give up a temporary administration job with Green King to take on the role.

“It's quite a pressurised position as in own way because it's two months to achieve something specific,” he said.

“I've got to go in running.”