Keeper of the Roll Simon Lawson is among the first to embark on a programme of employing ex-offenders – which he prefers to describe as ‘returning citizens’ to society – at his merchant business in London. The driver for Simon is ensuring Lawsons becomes an inclusive business for people of all backgrounds.
Court Assistant Lucia Di Stazio interviews Chelsey Mitten, a returning citizen who has been working at the Wandsworth branch of Lawsons Timber, Building & Fencing Supplies since June 2019.
Chelsey is the youngest of five children, and like many, had a normal upbringing. She’s always lived in the City and talking to her, it’s clear she is a focused and determined individual, keen to explore new opportunities. During her time at secondary school, she achieved Gold in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and in college Chelsey completed Level 1 in Painting & Decorating and Level 1 in Childcare. She is also a trained beautician and qualified in dog training. For Chelsey “exploring different avenues” is important in order to discover your strengths.
Things started to go wrong for Chelsey in January 2017 and circumstances led her to time in prison. But she didn’t give up and was determined to get her life back on track. Chelsey explains: “While in prison, my Role Officer came to see me one day and said that a girl from Lawsons was visiting the prison to interview people for a potential job and would I be interested in being interviewed. I jumped at the chance. So I had the interview and 1½ hours later I found out I’d got the role! I was released on temporary licence and started my job at Lawsons as Yard Operator on 3rd June 2019. The role involved serving customers, loading vans and yard cleaning – all the basic stuff. But being outside and being given the opportunity and responsibility was fantastic. I loved every second of it.”
Chelsey passed her six-month probationary period with flying colours, which led to Lawsons offering the position on a permanent basis. “It’s surprising how much you learn working at a builders’ merchant,” continues Chelsey. “Every day is different, meeting different people and the variety makes the job very enjoyable, including the banter with customers! It’s great fun and very interesting.”
Chelsey’s drive and commitment has been of particular credit to her during the Covid crisis. With many merchant businesses affected and rapidly adjusting to a new way of working, Chelsey has been pivotal to the success of Lawsons’ new Click & Collect service. Her experience, motivation and ‘can-do’ attitude contributed to providing customers reassurance, keeping them safe, and making sure Lawsons could maintain the best possible service during these challenging times.
Chelsey’s line manager and Wandsworth’s Branch Manager Michael Shields comments: “What Chelsey has achieved and demonstrated in the last three months has been fantastic. She has been managing our new Click & Collect service, which includes making sure the products are ready for collection in pre-allocated slots of every half an hour, addressing any customer queries or concerns and putting minds at ease, and observing new social distancing rules. Her attitude and ability during this time has been second to none. She has truly stepped up and taken ownership of the role.
“Chelsey works extremely hard and I’m very proud of her. I believe she has a bright and rewarding future at Lawsons,” concludes Michael.
When I asked Chelsey about her ambitions and goals at Lawsons, she was quick to respond with: “I’d love to learn more about loading the lorries. People might think it’s easy but it’s not. It’s very involving and a big responsibility. I’m ok with bulk bags, but not so comfortable when other elements are added.”
Outside of work, Chelsey is happy with the simple things of spending time with her daughter and family: “It’s all I need,” she says. Chelsey’s advice to others in a similar situation is clear: “We make mistakes in life but don’t let those mistakes hold you down. Give yourself a bit of time, get your priorities and mind set straight and then work on it. You don’t go to prison to make friends – you go to prison on your own and you come out on our own. If you end up there, use the time to help you become a better person.
“I’d like to say a big thank you to Lawsons for giving me a second chance. Without this programme, I don’t know where I’d be right now. I’m so grateful.”
Chairman Simon Lawson adds: “An important part for all our staff is to learn and understand the values and culture of the business, as well as the needs of the organisation. So every four months I organise a group lunch at my house so everyone can be involved in the learning, and Chelsey was part of that last year. It’s been very interesting to follow Chelsey’s journey – she’s extremely motivated and it’s a pleasure to be able to contribute to her development and success.”
A truly inspirational story and a superb example of what is possible when people are given a chance in life. My thanks to Chelsey for her time – an admirable person.
