A window into LandWorks

“Coming here, you’ve got to want to change. If they don’t want to change, you will change no-one. You can get a 100 people out here on this programme. If they think they’re going to want to get out and get involved in different shenanigans that could lead to this and that, you ain’t going to change them…

The major point is… until you reach that or have that, you ain’t going to change… I want to try, and I want to help. I want to help people and I want to try to be a better person. I know I’m not the finished article. I’m probably never going to be the finished article because a lot of my traits are like 30, 40 years old. They’re not easy to just dismiss…

Before, I didn’t give a monkey’s, but deep down, I did, but I couldn’t allow my ego or my arrogance to allow myself to be seen to have a weakness for the underdog. I’ve got to be ruthless. I’ve got to be this. I’ve got this reputation. I’m a player and I’m a bloke. I’m a man’s man and I don’t cry at this. Now, I need to show a bit more humility, but it ain’t easy. It just doesn’t come naturally…

So, I’ve got to be different. I’ve got to be a different person and show a different attitude, because if I went out as the Billy that came in, I’d be back in pretty quickly and I don’t want it. So, I think it wasn’t just one thing, that hallelujah moment, I think it was over a period of time. I just keep seeing people coming in and out. I was the induction orderly in the gym. I used to do the inductions for every man that comes in and I’m like “oh mate, you again, what now?” – “probation, I was 10 minutes late”, I went “mate, they don’t recall you for that”, I know they don’t, “did you turn up pissed, did you have drugs on you?” – “well, yeah, I’d had a few pints” – “ok, so you rolled in pissed when you shouldn’t be, what do you expect”. But if he doesn’t want to help himself to change, he can’t change. He’s still going to do the same thing again…

I would just encourage any person who had any possible chance to come to LandWorks to just do it. You might not like it, but I’d be very, very surprised. I just think that it’s an opportunity that you should look at and you should take because it will open your eyes to certain things. And come with an open mind. I had preconceived ideas for a long time, and they were wrong…

I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who’s done anything for me. Everyone bar none has been supportive, understanding, fair. I’ve been put in my place a couple of times. I look back and think maybe I was a bit wrong. It’s a good experience because you can experience and see something that I’d never come across. I’d never come across people that are just nice because they’re nice people. Anyone I’ve ever come across who’s nice wants something, they’re after something.

There’s no agenda here and that is quite unique. I would encourage anybody to give it a go. It might not be for you, but I don’t think you’d be disappointed. Obviously, just a major thank you to everyone, and I will support, if I can, this project in any way I can…

Obviously, of course, I’ve got my own life to live. I’ve got to move on now. I do look at prison, as we’re ships in the night. We come, we see each other, we have to work, and then we move on. I’ve met some good people and I’ve met people that have given me a new perspective. I would say a pleasant perspective. You don’t have to be how I envisage people have to be, to be nice. The things I see you do here. You do it for free.

The prison did nothing. I mean nothing. Admittedly, by the way, they’ve done nothing for me, but do you know what, I don’t need their help. Others did, but what you guys do and how you do it… you give them an opportunity. You open the door. They’ve got to walk through. That’s what I like. You’re not going to mollycoddle them. But they are doing it and the more they do it, the more support they get. I do think it’s very good.”