I’m stronger and wiser because of everything I’ve been through. I know not everyone will understand that, and that’s okay. I wouldn’t change any part of my life, the good, the bad, or the downright ugly. WHY? because it’s all part of my journey.
Now in my 40s I understand that it’s all linked I didn’t take drugs for fun I wanted oblivion to forget just for a while but all through my 20s and 30s I always said my childhood had nothing to do with why I took drugs not to convince anyone else but to convince myself until I relapsed after been clean for 12 years, after 18 months of hell and getting arrested in my 30s I was done.
So, I got clean and at age 42 I went to therapy because I couldn’t go through that again, if someone had told me 5 years ago that going on the ambassador’s course I would be where I am today, I would have asked what you were on because it was some good stuff.
My lived experience with addiction and my recovery led me to Volunteer at Sheffield Working Women’s Opportunities Project (SWWOP) running Craft workshops at drop in which led me to do the ambassador’s Program.
After finishing the program, I did my six months placement at the hub at Sidney Street and at The Hep C Trust which lead me to full time employment with them. And whilst I loved my job I missed working with vulnerable women.
So now I work with Framework as a woman’s positive activities worker. I also volunteer on the SWWOP outreach van. I am passionate about working with women as I have been homeless and in addiction which led me to working on the streets in Sheffield.
I understand that sometimes you just need people to listen and have an understanding of how hard it is
For me, it’s all about supporting women with compassion, empathy, and without judgment. It’s about earning their trust and keeping it by doing your best for them. Sometimes that means just having a chat over coffee. Other times, it means helping with housing, benefits, or going with them to appointments with services like Likewise—when they’re ready
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