As part of his recovery from addiction Edmund spent time at Jericho House and it was there that he had his first interaction with our Active Choices programme,.

He explained: “I was a resident at Jericho House and my first contact with Active Choices was that they used to take us out for circuit training on a Thursday. I went through the programme at Jericho and when I finished, I moved into supported housing and started engaging with football on a Tuesday and breakfast after that.”

During his time at Jericho House and with Active Choices, Edmund had the opportunity to work with our volunteers and began voicing his desire to get involved in volunteering himself.

I got the chance to meet a lot of people on Active Choices and there were people ahead of me who had been through Jericho and working with Active Choices as volunteers,” He said. “We were told when we finished at Jericho there was the chance we could get involved in some volunteering.

“I voiced an interest to Adam (Health Team Leader) and continued to attend sessions and then he said to me how about you come and try out, because of my experience with sports I’d done a lot of qualifications in the past and I’m a qualified fitness instructor he gave me the opportunity to start volunteering with the football session. Then I was taking part in box fit and I got the opportunity to start volunteering with that group. That’s the group I do the most of my volunteering with.”

The experience of being involved in Active Choices as both a volunteer and participant has been beneficial for Edmund, whose been able to develop a wide range of skills and developing his self-esteem.

He said: “It was good to meet new people and learn different skills. Coming from a background of addiction my world was very small, being given responsibility, being given opportunities to learn new things meet new people and engage with them was a real plus. I’ve been able to work on communication, empathy compassion and a willingness to learn new things. I’ve learnt that it’s okay to make mistakes just not to keep making the same ones. I’ve learnt that it’s okay to ask for help and that it’s okay to start from the point where you are and to be realistic with life and that if you put the effort in things do get better, things do change and that opportunities present themselves depending on how much you effort you put into what’s been given to you.

“So Active Choices has been a thing of growth, of strengthening and helping me to continue to build my social skills and also to just feel good about being me, feeling that I had something to offer. When someone says they see potential in me to take part in something that helps me. Overall I’ve had overall a really great experience.”

As well as benefiting himself, Edmund has enjoyed being able to give back and support the other participants who are on their own journey.

He said: “I enjoy supporting others because it was done for me. People helped me through to the point where I’m at today, so it gives me an opportunity to give back and an opportunity to stay humble and remember that I came from a point where I needed help and I still need help, we all do at times in life. To be honest I come alongside people to encourage them to learn new skills  encourage them sometimes to be better than they believe they can be. That in it’s self has been a real growth experience for me and makes me feel good when I’m helping people, it’s a good thing to do.”

Learn more about Active Choices below.

Active Choices