HER first job was on a tripe stall in the old Huddersfield market hall.

But she lost that job – and Jo Frith vowed then that she never wanted to suffer again the distress of unemployment.

Now the former Fartown High School student, who has dedicated her career to helping people back into work, has been honoured by the Queen with an MBE.

Jo Frith was recognised in the New Year’s Honours List for her services to disadvantaged people while working as Tesco’s Regeneration Partnership Manager.

The 46-year-old has helped more than 1,000 unemployed people back into work over the past five years, and is leading the company’s commitment to creating job opportunities.

“It’s an incredible honour,” said Jo, who now lives in Leigh, Lancashire.

“I’m just a lass from Huddersfield, so never in my wildest dreams did I think that something like this could happen to me.

“I’ve been lucky enough to work with some fantastic people from all across the UK.

“It is a great feeling knowing that you have made a difference to someone’s life by helping them find a job, when often they have given up all hope.”

The daughter of 1950s Huddersfield Town midfielder Joe Lonsdale, Jo grew up in Huddersfield and once held a job on the tripe stall of the town’s market. She had her first taste of unemployment at 17, an experience that she says has helped shape her outlook on life.

“It was the 1980s and times were really tough,” she remembers.

“I had finished my A-levels before going to university and I was looking for a temporary job.

“So I walked into the local Labour exchange in Huddersfield – and it was literally crammed full of people. Queues and queues of them, wherever you looked. I thought ‘I can’t do this.’

“I turned right around and walked straight out – I vowed then that I would find a job and never suffer that indignity again.”

Jo managed to land a part-time job working on the check-out for Tesco in Huddersfield and now, 31 years later, she is still with the company and has risen through the ranks to leads its Regeneration Partnership programme.

The scheme offers training and job opportunities to local people who have out of work for six months or more.

“The Regeneration Partnership scheme is about finding people’s natural talent or abilities and helping them to grow and develop,” she said.

“Everyone has got something to offer, but when you have been on the dole for a long time people lose their confidence and their hope.

“Some people I have seen on the scheme have gone through terrible adversity – I remember one of our recruits had lost his job, his wife and children, and his home in quick succession. His life was in bits.

“We try to help re-build their self-esteem and give people something to aim for. It’s a challenge to be asked to do things outside your comfort zone, but people respond really positively. One woman told me it had been just like winning the lottery for her, and that’s what the scheme is all about.”

Jo is due to visit Buckingham Palace later this year to receive her award from the Queen.