LIZZI LOCKHART had almost given up on finding a job after being unemployed for months.

She was getting over a separation from her partner, which had left her homeless.

And at 50 she thought she might never get her life back on track.

But a year later Lizzi has reinvented herself as an artist - and has just been commissioned to produce work for Glasgow bar Oran Mor.

She even has a millionaire customer - mobile phone tycoon Richard Emmanuel.

It's all down to Working Links, a public-private partnership launched in 2000 which gets people back into work or helps them start a business.

Lizzi, from Whiteinch, had a successful career for 25 years as a graphic artist for Strathclyde Regional Council and West Dunbartonshire Council.

But after moving to Ireland in 2000 and returning to Glasgow two years later she found her skills had gone out of date.

After her separation, she didn't know which way to turn.

But she found a hobby she'd had for years - painting - was to be the key to her new life.

Lizzi said: "I had been taking commissions from friends for a couple of years and realised perhaps I could make a living out of it.

"Working Links gave me a wee boost and a couple of grants and helped me overcome the stumbling blocks.

"They build your confidence up and make you feel as if you can achieve anything. You don't get that when you go to the Jobcentre."

Working Links helped with national insurance, tax issues and Working Tax Credits.

It even helped her get grants for art materials, and she began painting portraits.

Lizzi said: "It was the first time I'd been unemployed and I was 50 and I wasn't sure where to start to get my life back on track. Now I'm feeling very positive."

Millionaire customer Richard, 40, who sold his firm DX Communications for £42million and lives in Monaco, owns three of Lizzi's paintings.

He said: "Lizzi's got a great talent. It's great to see her doing so well.

"This kind of support is invaluable."

A Working Links spokeswoman said: "We are dedicated to helping people like Lizzi who face huge barriers that prevent them from working." For more information on Working Links call freephone 0800 917 9262 or visit www.workinglinks.co.uk