Danny Parr, from Nottingham, knows exactly how this feels since having mental health issues from the age of fourteen. However, with support from the Social Inclusion and Wellbeing Service and Notts County Football in the Community, Danny managed to take control of his life and would like others to hear about his journey.
“I have suffered with mental health issues from a young age. As with many people, the start of my journey was a harrowing experience which became a lot worse when I was admitted as an inpatient for the first time.
As a teenager with mental health issues, I entered a back and forth, in and out cycle of accessing services for the next five years. It was a negative experience but in spite of this, I overcame what, at the time, seemed to be insurmountable odds and began to take back control of my life. It was a slow process of trial and error with a lot of picking myself up and dusting myself down.
The key opportunity to gain control over my illness and my life, and to give me hope again, came when I began to have contact with the Social Inclusion and Wellbeing Team. Two people in particular from that team, Sangita Dhawan and Ian Kirkpatrick, have, over the years, fought my corner and supported my recovery. The team put me in touch with the Notts County Football in the Community scheme where I met four key coaches: Ian Richardson, Tom Curzon, Dave Ellis and Dave Parrott who have, for the past eight years, supported me and played a major and significant role in my ongoing recovery.
I started by going on a sports leadership award course. Afterwards, I was offered a volunteering placement with one of the junior football clubs as an assistant coach. With support from my coaches and the Nottinghamshire Healthcare team, I did this placement for nearly two years. I left this placement and moved on to do other things including getting involved in the Football in the Community project. This not only enabled me to fulfil my passion for football but also made me aware of my potential as an individual.
I have experienced many setbacks along the way, none more major than the tragic event of 30 August 2014 when I found my dad passed away on the kitchen floor of the family home. However, since this traumatic period I have lost six stone in weight, graduated as a Peer Support Worker and secured a very well paid job with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which is my first paid employment.
A volunteer co-ordinator from the Social Inclusion and Wellbeing team told me about the position at the CQC, which required someone with lived experience of mental health. I went through the job description and felt very excited. This role as an inspector would give me the opportunity to be someone other than a service user who could perhaps make a difference to the way services are delivered, by making appropriate suggestions for a more responsive service. The role required a lot of travelling and visiting various healthcare set-ups to see if the services were safe, effective, responsive, caring and well led.
Applying for this job was exciting but at the same time, I was worried about how I would perform at the interview and being turned down. But Ian – from the Social Inclusion and Wellbeing team - helped me with the application process and even prepared me for the interview by working on mock questions. The advice and practical support that I received helped me to perform so well at my interview that I was offered the job straight after the interview. It took a while for the news to sink in that I had finally got into paid work and I had another identity apart from being a service user with mental health issues.
I have been working for nearly a year now and continue to greatly enjoy my work. It has given me a sense of self belief and self worth as well as financial independence.
I have also achieved a few qualifications such as the FA Level 1 Football Coaching badge and, through Notts County, attained the Sports Leaders Level 2 qualification. I was also awarded Disability Player of the Year for two consecutive years when captaining the Notts County Pan-Disability Championship side, managed by Tom Curzon who was the first to spot my potential and to give me a start.
All four coaches mentioned above gave me many pep talks and sound advice along the way and I owe a substantial chunk of my journey forward to both the Social Inclusion and Wellbeing Team, for empowering me to pursue and attain my ambitions, and to Notts County Football in the Community for giving me the opportunity to seize control and to stabilise significantly. Without these two services I wouldn’t be where I am today and they are cornerstones of my support network. I hope that by telling my story I can help empower others to achieve similar success in their lives and to make significant forward steps on their journeys of recovery.”
As part of Nottingham Mental Health Awareness Weeks, the Social Inclusion and Wellbeing Service are holding an Employment and Volunteer Fair on Friday 16 October for service users. For more information, please visit the Trust's website.
No comments:
Post a Comment