"It has made a huge difference to my life"

When I met staff from the Social Inclusion and Wellbeing Service, I was a bit nervous at the start. I was shunning people and felt deserted. They explained that I would be offered opportunities – to get you back into meeting people – and events.

I started with an organised walk every Tuesday morning, organised for me by my support worker. She promised to be at the site. I hadn’t done anything like that for a long time. I started by walking at the back, but gradually moving further up the group and talking to other people. My support worker was always there, introducing me to people and breaking silences. I felt comfortable in the group. The walks were about 4 miles and they used to vary the pace.

After a few months, I started attending the Recovery College on a Tuesday and Thursday. My support worker took me to the enrolment. The courses I went on initially were Managing Life Changes and Living with Bipolar. The courses were very useful and we gelled as a group, sharing experiences.

I was also introduced to a local drop-in café, where you can go for a drink and a chat, and also to the University of the Third Age. They have a wide variety of things on offer and I will be doing things in the future, when I finish at the Recovery College.

I had shut myself off and was in a very difficult place. The Social Inclusion and Wellbeing Service has given me the confidence to know that some people won’t lie to you. My support worker was like a protector/anchor. It has made a huge difference to my life. The only problem was the waiting time.