Good News Story Update: Peter is a rising star

20th January, 2012

Brenda Turnbull, Five Lamps' Employability Team Leader recently caught up with Peter White to see how he has been since we published a Good News Story about him in July 2011.

Peter, 32 first signed up to the Communities Fund in February 2010. Five Lamps works in partnership with CRI and Peter was referred onto their STAR project, which helps people with drug and alcohol issues.

After successfully completing the STAR project, Peter was employed by CRI to run a pilot programme as a Supported Employment/Service Worker. He started his employment on 1 August 2011 and is still there six months later. His duties include working with peer groups to help them address the issues and barriers they face when dealing with their addiction. Peter offers one to one support to individuals and groups delivering his service in local outreach venues. He runs a breakfast club at CRI every morning to help people engage with CRI's service.

Peter also helps to run CRI's social enterprise needle delivery service. This is involves ordering and packing needles then delivering them to Boots the chemist and other pharmacies around the Tees Valley. Since starting his employment Peter has achieved a number of qualifications including Health and Safety, Manual Handling, COSHH Level 2, Food, Health and Hygiene Level 2 and is about to start a Level 3 in Health and Social care.

The pilot programme Peter was engaged to run is about to come to an end, however he is hoping to start the next phase of his career in April 2012 as a trainee Recovery Worker.

Peter said “I have gained a lot from my experience working with CRI. I feel my confidence and self -esteem has grown and being in a position that allows me to help others gives me a great feeling of self -worth. I am grateful for all the help I have received from Five Lamps, especially to Brenda Turnbull and Jodie Hind for finding funding and supporting me. I am also grateful to CRI for the employment opportunity. I will still be connecting with Five Lamps, as I regularly attend Jodie’s Recovery Support Group"

January 201

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Peter White, 32 from Thornaby first signed up to Stockton’s Communities Fund in February 2010. Five Lamps run Communities Fund on behalf of Stockton Council to support people who are unemployed.

Peter was supported by CRI, one of Five Lamps’ specialist subcontractors. In the past, Peter had been dependant on alcohol and class A drugs. He had also offended in the past and had a Criminal Record.

CRI supported Peter to attend rehabilitation and as part of this process he attended their Star Project. Peter was determined to turn his life around.

He said “Five Lamps first helped me when I started with CRI on the structured day care programme by helping with my travel costs to and from group sessions and courses.”

During his time at CRI, Peter attended and successfully completed the Parent Factor course and went on to successfully complete a Peer Mentoring course. Peter became very passionate that he wanted to give something back and felt the best way to do this was to help others in a similar position. He felt he could do this by using his personal experience and the skills he has learnt from the Peer Mentoring course.

Peter worked hard to come off his drugs and alcohol dependency. He managed this with support from CRI and still regularly attends in order to continue to get the support he needs in maintaining his abstinence and continuing his road to recovery.

Five Lamps also helped support Peter in his recovery as he regularly attends a recovery group set up and ran by Jodie Hind, Five Lamps Integrated Offender Management (IOM) Worker. Peter describes Jodie as being very supportive.

Peter has been successful in gaining employment as a Work Experience Trainee as part of CRI’s social enterprise programme and is due to start his new job on 1 August 2011. Five Lamps, through Communities Fund are continuing to support Peter by helping with funding for new work clothes, travel costs and funding to bridge the gap when he comes off benefit and gets his first wage.

Peter said “I could not have done this without the support I have received from both Five Lamps and CRI. I now feel I have something to get up for in the morning and if anyone had asked me a year ago if I would be in this position I would have said no. I can’t wait to start my new job and just want to thank everyone for the support I have been given.”

Five Lamps supports organisations like CRI by referring customers who need specialist support.

Download this Good News Story (PDF)

July 2011
 

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