"She has helped me so much"

I come from a military family. We moved to Scotland when I was 12. For the next 4 years I was subjected to the most horrendous bullying because of my accent. I was carried out to the playground and beaten on a daily basis. The girls would all spit on me. This all led to me attempting suicide when I was in my 20s.

I joined the military to learn to defend myself. I have never managed to shake the depression, and I've lived with it my whole life. The only thing that changed is I don't get the nightmares anymore.

In later years I had a hip replacement and although the hip is now good, it left me with operational trauma to my sacroiliac joint in the back. I worked all my days but I sleep only a couple of hours a night due to the pain, I was then driving for 40 minutes to get to work and 40 minutes back and doing a 12 hour shift in-between. I fell asleep at the wheel on many occasions. Eventually my wife said enough. I had to take early retirement at only 60.

I was then stuck in the house like a prisoner. Only going out at the weekend when we would go for a long drive just to get me out of the house. I have a mobility scooter but on wet or cold days I can't go out on it.

Then I met Samaira. A social Prescriber in Perth. And my life has changed. I go to a group held by Perthshire Welfare Society and meet loads of lovely people. And my confidence has grown. Samaira is a lovely lady who will do anything to help a person. She has helped me so much.