THE VOICE

My dad always told me when I was young, ‘You can do this’. There’s been tough times in my life, but I’ve kept his words in my heart. And now I have the strength to pass that mindset onto others.

Thirty years ago, I was diagnosed with a serious mental illness. I’ve been in hospital three times; my longest stay was eight months in 2015. At one point I said to a friend, ‘I don’t think I can recover from this.’

But now, eight years later, I’m strong. I’ve kept myself fit in my gym and I’ve practised martial arts since my early 20s. I’m now a martial arts Master but being an active dad to my two brilliant daughters is one of the main reasons for my recovery.

I’m a writer too. I’ve been working on Streetnouse, a collection of poems, self help philosophy and anti bullying psychology, for 30 years! I couldn’t have got through everything I’ve been through without it. Every day I use something I’ve learnt from working on it.

I get strength from my faith and voluntary work too. I’ve been a chaplain for six years, first at Clock View and now at Windsor House. I can give people support that I have needed myself and doing that helps me too, I feel like a role model. I want to inspire people to know that they can recover. They can start afresh or even just forgive, forget and move on – little changes make big differences to people’s lives.

I see my role as governor as being the voice for service users like me. My experiences go back over 30 years of mental health care. Things have improved a lot and the patient is at the centre of things now, which wasn’t previously the case. But there is still work to be done and I want to challenge the system to make life better for people. It keeps me busy; it’s not a job you go home and forget about. I really think about things and what they mean for other people. Big things weren’t created overnight, but I see the potential in everything. I know I can do it. Just like my dad said.”