A window into LandWorks

James says: “Everyday I’m learning something new while I’m here, and my aim at the minute is getting in to the work frame of mind, routine, and so far it’s done that, I’m getting here on time, and I’m riding in… and it’s done everything good since I’ve been here,  I’ve seen my little girl last night as well, which was good, so it’s putting everything in place… I can see it all coming and it’s good, I enjoy coming here, just everyone here is friendly, it’s a good workplace, it’s a good place to be,  and because I have pushed everyone away, I’ve pushed all my friends away to keep me out of trouble, you know what it’s like, and it’s all new friends, meeting new people and I’m just, I enjoy it, it keeps me busy… just gets me back into the work frame of mind and work mode…

I’m a ground worker and most of the work I’ve done… I was on the Newton Abbot bypass, before that, I was with a ground works company for four or five years… and in my last employment I was with a general builder, so I’ve had an all round aspect, and I was actually foreman, and obviously everything went downhill and hit rock bottom, and now I’ve, this is my first steps to coming back, getting back to the stage I was… I’m mixed trades really, but my main trade is ground works… and work’s work, and sometimes you do go there and have to do the same things every day, but it’s not, I used to like to do different things, and [here] I have an involvement in like cooking and everything, and I like that, I just like doing a bit of everything…

Life for me now is about myself and my children, whereas before I didn’t think about myself, I didn’t think about my children, when I was in a bad way and committing crimes… and now, like a few weeks ago I got accommodation, which I didn’t have before and [then] coming here, and yesterday I seen my child that I hadn’t seen in months, and it was just three massive things in my life already, I’ve only been here two weeks and already I’ve got massive progress and just light at the end of the tunnel, I can see the light… and I know I’m going to get there and I know, it’s slowly but surely, and I don’t want to rush things, I want to take things slowly, and make sure things are done properly, and already, just being here two weeks has done a lot for me…”