FULFILLING a teenage ambition to work in a job helping the community has left Ellen Coe contented in her work.

The community development worker at Kidderminster's Oldington and Foley Park Community Network is delighted to have played a major part in raising the profile of the group, having begun work there just under two years ago.

Her role includes organising the network's advice shop in Dowles Road, which offers a range of services for ward residents including chances to meet Victim Support staff, police officers, nurses and Women's Aid officials.

And youngsters are not forgotten either with a weekly youth club which is just one of the areas to benefit from two lottery grants which the group has received since forming in 1995.

It also acts as a referral agency for Relate, the Employment Service and Wyre Forest Community Housing among others.

Miss Coe, who works jointly from the shop and at the British Sugar Community Centre in Stourport Road, said: "I'm really enjoying the job at the moment because of the success we have achieved in the past two years.

"There are so many activities and schemes ongoing and to be overseeing a lot of them gives me a lot of job satisfaction.

"This job in Kidderminster was the first post I was interviewed for since myself and my fianc moved down from Leeds.

"In that sense I was a bit lucky but I'm delighted to be working here.

"After I had finished my A-levels and completed a degree in politics I decided I would like some kind of career based either on charity, local government or public sector work."

However, Surrey-born Miss Coe, who grew up in Sussex and now lives in Worcester, knows the good work must continue in the bid to improve affairs in an area of Kidderminster which has above-average crime and unemployment rates.

She said: "We might not get any more lottery funding now we have become an established group so I and my colleagues have a big responsibility to maintain links with the funding groups which can help us.

"It is also a big motivation of my work to attract more people to use our services.

"This has been the case with the Furniture Recycling Project we operate, which last year made between 1,500 and 2,000 deliveries and is tremendously well used."

Away from work, she is a keen swimmer and also enjoys reading in her spare time, as well as visits to the pub.

She said: "I do like to relax and go out for a drink.

"Swimming regularly is my favourite way to exercise."