BOSSES of a lifeline charity have been praised — for giving massages to help relax staff.

When dedicated staff from Bolton Young Persons Housing Scheme feel a bit tense, they call in a masseuse, who they call their “stress angel”.

The organisation, which helps 16 to 25 year olds into temporary housing, has been awarded an Investors in People Gold Award — a government accolade that only seven per cent of UK organisations have.

The charity’s director, Maura Jackson, said: “I am delighted.

“My teams work exceptionally hard and we try to recognise that, especially in this current climate when resources are limited.”

In recent weeks, 33 staff at the charity’s Breightmet Street offices have been given Indian head massage and reflexology by “stress angel” Carol Hardy-White, of Total Health Care in Farnworth.

Other perks of working for the charity include a £30 meal voucher for staff who go that extra mile, and workers are offered extra training and help for exams.

Mrs Jackson added: “Our young people need 150 per cent from our teams and so we do what we can to try and make sure that staff have the resources and motivation levels to be able to do that.

“The award goes to show that you don’t have to be a multi-national corporate organisation to really develop and empower the people working with you.

"I think we have proved that if you invest in the staff teams they deliver fantastic results.”

Founded in 1992, the charity supports hundreds of homeless young people across Bolton each year, with five projects offering a total of 96 units of accommodation.

Chris Jones, of Investors in People, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and I would like to congratulate the team on its commitment to people development and continuous improvement.”

Staff and volunteers also help young people with problems including financial, emotional and mental health issues, and domestic abuse, unemployment, addictions and neglect.