From participant to volunteer to staff member Callum Taylor has been involved with the trust for over five years.

He started out attending our Weekend Club before he began volunteering at the sessions. He helped our coaches run the sessions before taking his own groups, gaining the experience that he believes led to him joining the trust as an apprentice coach at the age of 19.

He said: “The experiences I gained as a coach helping out at the Weekend Club is why I am where I am today working for the trust. I enjoyed it and wanted to continue on that path.”

Callum now works in the Schools and Coaching department at the trust but away from that he volunteers at our Team Talk session, which he started doing after seeing a video of one of our participants discussing the programme on YouTube.

The sessions have not only befitted his career but his own mental health. He said: “It has improved my mental wellbeing helping at the sessions, I have learnt a lot from it even the small things like how making your bed in the morning helps start the day with a clear head. I have also had the opportunity to improve professionally by going on training courses which is only going to benefit me in the long run.”

After volunteering on two programmes when asked about what he would say to others who are thinking of volunteering he said: “ There is no reason to be scared of volunteering. Go get involved, develop relationships with staff and participants and you’ll build a great pathway to a future career.”