CHRISTMAS cheer arrived early for more than a dozen people who were out of work after they secured employment at toy stores in Bradford and surrounding areas for the festive period.

Smyths Toys Superstores has employed 14 people who have completed pre-employability courses delivered by training provider Realise.

The successful candidates will start work in the coming weeks and have secured a position until at least the new year.

They will fill sales assistant positions at the Smyths Toys Superstores in Bradford, Birstall, and Leeds Crown Point Shopping Park.

Dan Goodall, operations director for Adult Education at Realise, said: “This has been an extremely successful partnership which has provided employment opportunities for local residents and given Smyths Toys a major boost with its recruitment ahead of the busiest time of the year for retail."

The Sector Based Work Academy Programme course saw anybody who completed the training granted a guaranteed job interview with Smyths.

Kris Bateman, branch manager at Smyths Toys in Birstall, said: “It’s been fantastic to partner with Realise and provide opportunities for local people to step into employment in the build-up to Christmas.

“The candidates we interviewed were all of a high standard and we are looking forward to welcoming them onto the team as we build up for the big Christmas rush.”