“I’ve had a real bad drug problem since I was probably 16, and it’s ended me in and out of jail constantly. I thought I’d nailed it at one point, I was eight years clean and then I fell off basically, I relapsed again and I think that’s gonna be a big thing going forward, like trying to stop stuff like that. But yeah, I ended up coming out of jail and coming down here to stay away from *Place coz it’s a sort of a trigger point for me, and my local Probation Officer (PO) suggested to come up and try it. I do like it up here. It’s really nice. I just like being here to be fair. It gives me something to do. Like I said, I get bored really easy and if I wasn’t getting up and coming here I’d probably would’ve gone back to *Place, be back home by now. So yeah, it’s given me some purpose just coming here and it’s helping me, it’s like helping me sort my ID out and stuff like that. It’s just been a massive help. That’s the reason why I’m here basically, through my probation officer. I feel quite lucky to have him as a probation officer and my drug worker is *Name. Yeah, she’s heard of this place. I think she’s been up here a couple of times as well. So she’s impressed that I’m coming here. She’s a good drug worker.
On my first day I got here for about 11 o’clock and Chris was showing me around. I thought it was all a bit weird to be fair. I’m not gonna lie, I thought it was really weird … it was really weird. I just found it really strange, sort of thing.
I didn’t know … where I’ve been before and any time I’ve done anything, any sort of course, people get funding for it and stuff like that, and I’m coming up here and you’re feeding me and paying for my travel and all that sort of stuff, and you’re not getting any funding for it, sort of thing. I don’t know why, but it just made it a bit weird, sort of thing. I dunno. Every other course I’ve done … I’ve even had a woman ask me if I wanted to go on like forklift courses and certain sort of courses, and she gets a percentage of something for finding them people, so everybody’s sort of making money out of it, you know, I just didn’t understand how this place sort of works. That was a weird thing.
I was so used to like people … this woman she got me on a course, so she got a percentage. Somehow she gets a finder’s fee for getting me on this course and then I went to the Job Centre and asked them if they could pay for my travel and they went mad, they were like we could’ve put you on this course … because obviously they must get a finder’s fee. So it’s mad. In my head I’m thinking everybody’s getting paid for doing something, but up here it’s completely different. I didn’t understand how he keeps the place going without any funding from anybody, sort of thing.
I didn’t think I’d like pottery, I’d never really done it before and I just … in my head I was thinking it’s a bit like school and stuff like that, but no, it’s completely different, and Julia, she’s really good. I do like it. I made a bird-feeder for my daughter. I do like art, but like I said, they’re a lot better than me at it, sort of thing, but yeah, I do like it, but I’ve never done anything like that before. To be honest I didn’t wanna do art, I was like no, I don’t really wanna do it, but I went because everyone was so nice to me. I was like go on then, I’ll do it, and I did it and I really enjoyed it, I did actually like it. I think Julia’s quite good at teaching as well…
I like working in the garden with Holly. I never knew … like I’ve said, I don’t like any vegetables but just following … learning new things I think it is. Like I’ve said, with the pottery and that, just learning about all that and then knowing that I could do it was quite a shock. I really didn’t think I’d be any good at it. But being in the garden and learning about the plants, when to pick them, like winter seed and stuff like that. I don’t mind learning anything … I’d rather learn than do things that I’ve already done, sort of thing. Yeah, I’m always willing to learn new things and that’s what keeps me going … well, not keep me going, but I’m more interested in learning new things. Yeah, it makes it more interesting.
Yeah, cooking. I’ve never been able to cook in my life, you know, honestly. I did that first meal with Graham, cottage pie and that, and coz my sister was working a different job to what she is now, she didn’t get home until about six at night, so I started cooking for her kids and it was quite cool coz I didn’t know how to make shepherd’s pie at all … watching Graham do it, I had a go at home and it turned out ok. Then I got more adventurous, making chicken pies and stuff like that. I like cooking. There’s only so much you can do though ain’t there, cooking like, I dunno. I don’t mind cooking food and stuff like that, but I like to make a pie and a Sunday roast, making it all come together, and stuff like that. I prefer a challenge, sort of thing. I’ve never made a cake. I’ve made like little fairy cakes out of a packet and all that, but I’d like to have a go at making a cake. I don’t wanna get fat though. I eat a lot of crap, like I’ve said, coz I don’t like vegetables. I wanna stay away from cake and stuff like that, and donuts … don’t get me wrong, they’re nice, but I just keep thinking I’d eat loads of them, and I would, yeah
I’ve been without ID for five years … no ID whatsoever, but I had my licence papers from jail. Every time I come out of jail they give me a licence paper. May managed to sort that out within a couple of weeks. [Got ID now] I will have when my driving licence comes, but I’ve got a birth certificate, which I never had, and a National Insurance number…”
It’s good. It’s really helped me. Like I’ve said, it gives me a purpose to get up in the morning, and I’ve had so much help here. I said to May, I said I feel bad because I’m gonna have to go and get a job sooner or later, and I’m just gonna have to leave. Everyone’s doing everything for me, and I feel like you’re not getting … well, I’m helping, I try to do what I can, but she said just use it to your advantage, sort of thing. Yeah, it’s cool. Like I’ve said, I do enjoy coming up here. I think if this wasn’t here at the moment, I probably would’ve gone home at one point or another. Having this to come up to has been nice and it’s given me a bit of purpose to stay down here.
