Mining coal to making sushi is not a natural progression, but for workers in Nottinghamshire it's proven to be a highly productive one.

We visited Solway Foods, a company in the Manton Wood Enterprise Park in Worksop.

It's a highly labour-intensive place, with more that 500 workers manufacturing sandwiches and sushi for high street outlets.

Many of its workforce are people who used to work in the mining and textile industries.

But the decline of these sectors meant that many were made redundant, and had to find new work in new areas.

Booming

In contrast to many traditional businesses in Nottinghamshire, Solway Foods is booming, and a source of job opportunities.

Mick Acaster is a typical example.

He worked as a factory machine worker for 35 years but the company folded and he was made redundant.

"It was quite a large factory, and I couldnt believe it when it closed but you have to pull yourself together and get on with it," he says.

Two years later, he's got a new job at Solway Foods as a production worker.

Dot Brammer

"There is life after your previous job, you just have to get on with it ."

Dot Brammer, another production worker at the firm used to work in a shoe factory.

"A lot of us got made redundant from there, and quite a few of us are now here," she says.

"It's a bit weird at first as we didn't know all the hygiene rules but we do tests and you learn how food production works.

"When you lose your job you just have to go for it somewhere else."

Solway will be hoping that they can find more people with the same attitudes as Mick and Dot because they're about to expand and take on another 250 people.

Kuldip Kular

Kuldip Kular is the man who'll be recruiting the new staff, and he is adamant that people who have been laid off from jobs in different industries are always welcome.

"Basically we're looking for people who are keen to work and to be trained to do the job," he says.

"It doesn't matter what they've done before.

"We just want people who would like to be associated with a company that's growing and wants to be extremely successful."

"We want to get them used to the cold environment of the factory, so we bring them in, show them around and prepare them for work here."

Clancy Jones has paid some of her redundancy into a contributory pension scheme but the company seems to have lost the records.

What should she do?

"Contact the company and find out where the payment trail has led.

"Find out who made the payment and to where.

"Start at the beginning and go from there.

"Putting some of your redundancy pay into your pension can be a good idea in certain circumstances, but it really depends on whether you need to use the money for other things.

"It's a long term commitment.

Mrs Smith from Northampton is within 12 weeks of her redundancy notice.

Is she entitled to take time off?

"Yes, she's entitled to 2 days off to look for another job."

We've a letter from a woman who's husband has taken redundancy at 58.

Does he have to pay his national insurance stamps until he is 65?

No.

National Insurance contributions only have to be paid up to age 60, and thereafter people receive an automatic credit between the ages of 60 and 65.

He needs to get a forecast of his pension entitlement by getting form BR19 from his local social security office and submitting it.

They'll then tell him what pension he's heading for and he can then work out the consequences of not paying his contributions for the next 2 years.

He then has to work out whether it's worth paying voluntary contributions to plug that gap.