"Help by the social inclusion and wellbeing team"

After coming out of hospital I felt very isolated and the time was just passing by. I even felt frightened to ask for help, but I did ask for help.

Going to SPAN encouraged me to take up courses in cookery and I achieved a number of NVQs. It was not easy and I had to retake a number of exams but I persevered. If I failed I would try again until I succeeded. To achieve my goals it took time.

The Social Inclusion and Wellbeing Team helped me to find a voluntary job in a cafe for 18 months but when it closed I decided to take a different direction in life. Once again I got support from the Social Inclusion and Wellbeing Team to take OCRs in administration. By taking the courses and by learning from books I went from not being able to use a computer to be confident at creating word docs, spreadsheets and powerpoint presentations.

I now work as a volunteer administration assistant. I gained a lot of confidence from working with a very supportive team. I have been like a yo-yo who keeps coming back up. I have learnt to not put myself down and to look after myself better

During all the struggles and difficulties I try to remember that it gets better, because if you fall off the horse you get back on again. And if one horse is not right for you you can always try another one.