“There’s not many things that keep me focussed – I’ve got ADHD so I’m really restless. But the work in the Recycling Lives workshop was like a puzzle and I liked that it was target based so it made the time in prison go quicker.
“And if I hadn’t worked there, I wouldn’t have been able to answer any of the questions in my job interview. Because I had that experience, I didn’t really have to think that hard about my answers. I could talk about the importance of PPE, experiences of working in a team, helping other people to do their jobs or overcoming a problem.
“I loved it in the workshop but then we went into lockdown. In lockdown in prison we’d only get half an hour out of the ‘house’. It was awful. I was having panic attacks for the first few weeks so I started working out a lot because I had to keep focussed.
“I got out of prison in September and was in a hostel for two months. Then I got custody of my daughter and we went into temporary accommodation and then moved into a permanent home just before New Year.
“After the rush of Christmas I knew I had to find a job, even when it was January and lockdown. Not being busy wasn’t good for me, I knew it wouldn’t be good if I didn’t get back into work.
“Because I’d had a proper job in prison I felt good about myself applying for jobs. Now I’m in a job and I’m achieving all my goals. Recycling Lives really helped me and has given me a lot of confidence.”