17. Peter Wood - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch
My chat today is with Peter Wood, who is part of the Homeless Prevention Community Grants programme, managed by Landau (ESF Community Grants are funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Education and Skills Funding Agency, and are being managed by Landau in The Marches. Grants will support a range of activities aimed at moving individuals towards the labour market by improving their access to local employment and skills provision).
This is the story of many people the country over who find themselves homeless and is not just confined to Herefordshire. A domestic row and a broken marriage led to Peter first being homeless and then living in a filthy flat where there was little hope; and lacking in self-confidence his life looked like a bottomless pit. He has started on a road to happiness by having found a passion for gardening through Vennture, moving into a better flat that is part of a community and doing some training to get some structure back his life through a job in adult social care. Imagine not seeing your children for 9 months and having little hope for the future. Now in control of his mental health, helped by his support workers and with the job on the horizon Peter is feeling more confident about what the future holds.
Our bench today started in the garden by the river where Peter works, but it started to rain so we came into the warmth of the Vennture offices in Hereford.
References:
Vennture Vennture – Love people better
Landau - Landau | Supported Employment & Education Charity | Helping You To Get Into Work or Training
The Living Room - Home | The Living Room (thelivingroomhereford.co.uk)
The Cartshed - The Cart Shed, Herefordshire - Outdoor Activities - Alternative Learning
The Library - Libraries – Herefordshire Council
The Hereford Cathedral - Hereford Cathedral
The River Wye - River Wye - Wikipedia
The Hereford Welsh Club - (7) Hereford Welsh Social Club | Facebook
The Hereford Richmond Club - (7) Richmond Place Club | Facebook
Visit Herefordshire - Visit Herefordshire | Feel a World Away | Official Tourism Site
