By Anna Edwards

anna.edwards@essnmedia.co.uk

One persevering job-seeker is finally back in work - after two-and-a-half years of unemployment.

Fiona McLean has been hunting for work since March 2007, when she was made redundant from her role as an information officer at a cancer charity.

And last month the 52-year-old finally got the breakthrough she had been looking for.

She won a World of Difference competition, where Vodaphone pays the winner to work for a charity of their choice for two months

Fiona, from Parchmore Road, Thornton Heath, will be working as an administration assistant and information officer at Parchmore Community Centre - just a few doors down from her home.

She said: "I have been volunteering there for a few months, and I love how much the centre helps so many people, from all walks of life.

"It has got such a mixed community, and so many different groups use it, from brass bands to the Sea Cadets, so when I entered the competition they were my first choice.

"I like what they do and I think I have the right skills to help them."

Fiona entered the competition after an advisor at the job centre encouraged her to give it a go.

"It's such a relief to know I'll have a job for a couple of months," she added.

Fiona has tirelessly searched for a new job, and says the struggle has been disheartening.

She explained: "It's so frustrating knowing that my skills are going to waste.

"People might think having all this time off is like one big holiday, but it's definitely not fun.

"Rolling out of bed and watching daytime TV - I can't bear to even say Jeremy Kyle - is so boring, and after a while you feel like you're losing part of your identity.

"You want to feel useful, and searching for jobs is so time-consuming and stressful and after two-and-a-half years of applying with no luck, it can be quite soul-destroying.

"I'm so happy that I'll be able to help a charity, and get a little bit back too, that I've started singing round the house."