At that time, he was volunteering and had some physical disabilities which were affecting his levels of confidence and self-esteem.

After successfully completing an interview – despite some levels of nerves – he was offered a place on the Peer Advisor Programme. Alongside the learning, he was now able to have more responsibilities in his volunteering role through providing advice and guidance services to people.

His confidence grew week by week and he became a keen and enthusiastic member of the group.  He finished his qualification in just six months.

Darren then successfully applied for his first ever paid job – something he says would have been out of his reach before training as a Peer Advisor. He has now progressed on further from this, met his partner and is getting married this year.  He has also lost weight and no longer using a motorised scooter to travel around.  His whole life has changed:

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the St Giles Trust in being a big part of where I am now, as they were a huge help to me during the first lock down, because by them phoning me at least once a week, to make sure that I was doing alright, helped me to get through that first lock down, and they do really care about the people that they help and also the people that their peers support.”