A NEW course for unemployed people with arthritis is being launched in Great Malvern next month.

The course, entitled "Preparing for Work", is being run by national charity Arthritis Care.

It is specifically designed for people with arthritis and related conditions, such as osteoporosis, who want to find a job but are worried about how they will cope.

The course runs over eight weeks, starting on Thursday, August 21. Each weekly session lasts three hours.

It will teach participants about different ways of managing their condition, and will be supported by trainers who have arthritis themselves.

Arthritis Care is the UK's largest voluntary organisation, with 10 years' experience of delivering self-management training programmes.

Life change

Sarah Oliver, training services supervisor for Arthritis Care in central England, said the course was a wonderful opportunity as self-management really changed lives.

"On this course you will learn how to take charge of your life and feel enabled to achieve the goals you may have given up on," she said.

"It can be very powerful simply to realise that everyone on the course has a common condition and that you are not alone."

The course will be run from a town centre location, and help with transport and childcare costs is available.

Further courses are planned in the Hereford and Worcester area for 2003 and 2004.

To book a place, contact Arthritis Care on 0845 650 4400, or call Sarah Oliver on 01886 884 068 for more details.