Suffering a breakdown, during a divorce and child custody issues, Mike was struggling which led him to loosing his job too. Luckily, Mike was introduced to Vee’s Place. Here his story:
“I lectured in music at a performing arts college but I began to find the workload difficult. I was going through a lot with a divorce and custody battle over my children, which resulted in me having a breakdown and eventually being made redundant. I felt so defeated and struggled to get the help I needed. I originally came to Vee’s Place as a service user and it was there that Vee suggested that I volunteer to help with my mental health and to bridge the gap between jobs.
I ended up volunteering on a project with young people and this started building my confidence and self esteem. Not long after that I felt in the right place to apply for a part time job and secured 18 hours a week at a local college. Vee’s Place was absolutely central to my recovery, and I knew I wanted to give back. I have since become a Trustee and volunteers whenever I can. I’ve run classes in music for young people and have helped older people from the community understand how to use computers. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed developing the IT suite and look forward to supporting many of the other projects we have planned.”
Vee added “Mike is a great example how Vee’s Place provides tailored volunteering opportunities for our service users. Our organisation depends on volunteers who have lived experience of the services and have an understanding on what the current users are feeling.”
If you want to volunteer or run a class please contact us.