An additional 300 people are to receive help in recovering from mental ill health through a new project from Cornish charity Pentreath Industries which will help them move towards the labour market.

Pioneering is an Objective One project that will deliver additional support - and hope for a brighter future say organisers - to in-patients at hospitals in Truro, Redruth and Bodmin.

It is anticipated that 43 per cent of those benefiting from the Pioneering project will be in work or involved in further study by the end of the scheme.

Objective One programme director Carleen Keleman said: "One of the core aims of Objective One is to invest in the training and education that develops a workforce with high quality skills for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

"Investing in people recovering from mental ill health is doubly beneficial. Not only does it give those individuals fresh hope and the renewed confidence to play an active role in the workforce, it also prevents the loss of skills and abilities from the economy."

Louise Knox from Pentreath explained that Pioneering will deliver training and employment support to 300 people over an 18-month period.

She said: "The whole philosophy within the project is that while people are in hospital they are at their lowest point and at their most needy - which is precisely when they most need to know that they still have a positive future ahead."

Louise added: "Rather than talking about clinical issues or medication, we are talking about recovery, training, learning and jobs. As an outside agency, we provide hope by working with people to look at how they can progress and by helping them identify new opportunities for the future."

The £134,000 project has been made possible through a £52,000 Objective One investment from the European Social Fund, with additional investment coming from the Cornwall Partnership Trust and Pentreath itself.

The project will build on the success of previous work by the charity enabled by earlier European investment through Objective One.

Pentreath's previous Pioneers project gave training and vocational advice to 300 people and the new project has already benefited 81 people since its start in January this year.