A RISCA man who was unemployed for 20 years due to a disease of the spine has won an award after getting back into work.

Raymond James, 41, was diagnosed with Shoreman’s disease at the age of 19, which hits the spine and affects movement, making any physical activity extremely difficult.

When symptoms of the disease began to calm down at the age of 39, Mr James, of Almond Avenue, decided to get back into work.

He studied maths, English and computing for 12 months with Bridges into Work and landed a job as a cleaning technician with Eurest Cleaning. He is now working at the EADS building in Newport.

In the past two years he has also got engaged to his girlfriend, Rachel Burger, 31, and lost seven stones, after he started cycling five miles to work each day. Mr James, who left school with no qualifications, was named winner of the Essential Skills award at the annual Inspire! Adult LearningAwards ceremony on Thursday night, held to mark the start of Adult Learners’ Week 2012 (12-20 May).

Bridges into Work aims to get 3,000 adults in south-east Wales into work by August 2012 using a £10 million grant from the European Social Fund.

Mr James said: “I am really happy to win the award, but a bit shocked and I am sure other people are more deserving than myself.

“Learning really has changed my life.

It encouraged me to go out into the world and built up my confidence no end.”