A window into LandWorks

“I was homeless and I was robbing from shops to feed myself and stuff like that and I got caught. That’s how I ended up going to court and then coming here. That’s how it went down really… I was homeless for about a year. I was verified homeless in [Town]. Verified means if someone sees you’re homeless, then they can do something about it. I didn’t have that in [City] because I wasn’t verified, but I was verified in [Town]. So,  I got put in a hotel for two months before my court date. So, I stayed there for two months until my court date and that’s when I ended up moving back down with my mum…

I’ve worked in a few places. I’ve worked behind a bar a few times. Haven’t worked in a kitchen yet, but I want to. I’ve done all sorts. I’ve worked at doing till work and stuff, like [Burger chain] and places like that. That wasn’t too bad, that was alright. I’ve done ‘front of house’. That was really good. Now, I’m doing pub work. I did my first shift yesterday. I’m waiting to hear back from them and if I get a job there that’ll be good. It was a trial yesterday, but it was a paid trial, so I’m ok with that. They’re going to get hold of me in the next few days to say whether I’ve got the job or not…

Since coming to LandWorks I have developed a very, very high interest in cooking and I want to go cooking professionally, become a chef and hopefully own my restaurant one day. That’s my dream now… I’ve been cooking. I’ve been doing lots of different things. I’ve cooked quite a few things. I’ve cooked things I never thought I’d cook before in my life and I’ve started to learn an attitude for cooking now. I always cook at home. I’m the main cook at home now. My mum’s partner likes my cooking as well. That’s a bonus…

I’ve been coming out here about two months. I’ve done a little bit of pottery here and there. I did two pots. They’re not that good. I also built a pond. Me and Martin did the pond. We went and picked up all the rocks and stuff.. That wasn’t too bad, it was quite good. It’s been a really good experience here. I’ve done all sorts of things… Meeting new people and socialising with people that I never thought I would’ve, prisoners, community workers, getting to know their stories and how they ended up where they are now. It’s actually very interesting… I’m welcome here, so that’s good. It’s been a good experience and I’ve been very welcomed here. Anyone that comes here, they’d enjoy it, they really would. It’s a very, very well setup charity and it’s very, very good for people that want to come out and share their skills and improve on their skills and stuff like that.

I liked the cooking the best. It’s experimenting with new things. You can make random things into something decent. There’s things that I never really thought I’d ever put in. I’ve never put stock in with mince before, until I started coming here. It’s very good. It changes the emphasis. That was quite good. I quite enjoyed that. I do quite a bit at home now. I’ve cooked that lasagne for mother quite a few times. I’ve cooked gammon and potatoes the other day. I don’t cook every night. I cook nearly every night. I just cook the basic stuff at home. I’ve cooked fish for me, my mum and her partner on Monday evening and then Sunday evening we had the roast gammon and potatoes. They really liked that.

I’ve sorted my life out now. I’m in a better position. I’ve got a room. I’m at home now. It’s a bit different… I like coming up here because I get to meet new people and get to experience new things. Learn to bloom as you put it. I’m blooming with my cooking.”