“At Walk I found my faith at my own pace. It is not forced on anyone and for me, it just made sense.”
Before I came to Walk I was at the point in life where the things I was doing were not working anymore. I would go to prison, get out, go back to my area, survive for about a year or so before slowly falling back in with the same people and starting the same bad habits again.
Those habits would lead me back to prison where I would start the cycle all over again. Nothing good was happening in my life, and when I met a man called Roy I had been recalled to prison after getting caught with drugs in my car. I had been clean, I was working, but the drugs had crept back in again.
Roy was a drug worker who visited me in prison. He had been addicted himself so I thought what he had to say might be worth listening to. In our second session he mentioned Walk and he said that I would benefit from it. I agreed to give Walk a go, I knew I needed change.
I smoked a lot of spice in prison and the first day I arrived at Walk it was a Thursday night, which is worship night at the centre. I arrived straight into a room full of men singing songs I had never heard before, it was a really daunting experience for me.
But what got me through that night was looking at all these
men who were full of life and I thought if this place has done that
for them then it’s got to be able to do something for me. I could see something in them that I could not see in myself. I had to trust that their story could become mine.
When you arrive at Walk the focus is you. They make sure
you do the work on yourself whether you want to or not. If
you do not work on yourself you do not last, it really is that
simple. During that time they give you everything you need,
and if something is not there then you realise that maybe
you never needed it in the first place. After that, it’s about other
people and what you can give.
Now that I have completed my detox I work as a voluntary
support worker helping the lads that have just arrived. I
can offer them support from a place of understanding. I know
what it is like to be lost in your own story so I can help give
them a fresh perspective and encourage them to keep going, even when it all feels difficult.
At Walk I found my faith at my own pace. It is not forced on
anyone and for me, it just made sense. I always thought I had a good heart and I think being here has activated something in me. I really have changed.
I used to struggle a lot with confidence, but that has changed. I went on a prison visit with the team recently and stood up and told my story in front of forty others. The guy sat at the back of the Walk centre on Thursday night would never have believed he could have done that. But he did. I did.
As I was getting older the lifestyle was wearing me out. I got tired of going in and out of prison. I wanted to get on with my life, and at Walk I am finally doing that.
I am not sure what the future holds yet, but I know that for now I am here, learning as much as I can and helping as many men as I can. That is the most rewarding thing now, seeing a lad I have referred come off his medication, get into a shared house and to start supporting others. Seeing another man trust that his story can change, like mine did, is my focus now.
Stories of hope and of lives changed
We have lots of stories to share with you. Stories of hope, stories of lives changed, stories that will encourage you and stories that will blow you away. Follow the link below to read more.
