I'll be honest, when I first heard about BBO I was reluctant to get involved in the programme. Over the years I've experienced a lot of mental health interventions that unfortunately haven't done what they said they would. But BBO is different – it does exactly what it says on the tin and they have given me hope in services again.
Experiencing mental health difficulties can be incredibly lonely and isolating, but the staff at BBO have been brilliant. I signed up to the programme and before I knew it, I had a job working at M&S! It's a dream combination to have a paid job alongside additional support and I'm so grateful that people have listened to me throughout this entire experience.
Having a job is the best feeling - there's no other way to describe it really. Working at M&S pushed me right out of my comfort zone and put me in a position where I had to talk to new people. That experience has made me so much more confident than I was before and now I feel like I can do things I never thought I could.
I'm looking forward to volunteering as a peer ambassador for BBO so that I can support others and inspire them that this works – I'm the living proof!
As for the rest of the future, I just want to be happy. I want to be creative and to travel and I'd love to be in a full-time role where I can help people. I've learnt that there are so many opportunities out there for me, but the difference is, I now feel deserving of them. My experience has shown me that I can do it. That's what BBO has done for me. I couldn't have asked for more from them.