ESRA Surrey

Success Stories

David’s story:

Grass can be greener for Asperger syndrome

David, despite having Asperger syndrome, became a successful landscape gardener with long term help from ESRA. As his employer said: “it was a real success – both for him and for us.”…

Vicky’s story:

Vicky beats depression and wins silver medal

Vicky is now a black belt in taekwondo and recently represented England in the European Championships, where she gained a silver medal but for years she suffered with depression. This led to drug and alcohol misuse and numerous run-ins with the police. She spent the majority of her late teens in secure units. Her story is told in her own words...

Flo’s story:

From psychosis to teaching assistant

Six years after receiving a diagnosis of drug-induced psychosis Flo was referred to ESRA and attended a Moving On course. She was supported with job applications and attained part time employment at a local supermarket. Two years later, she attained full time employment with a local insurance company but became ill again and left …

William’s story:

Coming out of anxiety disorder

15 years ago William was diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder and so had to stop work. He was referred to ESRA via the Job Centre’s Disability Employment Advisor soon after the death of his Father who he had been caring for through eight years of serious illness…

Penny’s story:

Chronic depression to youth centre

Penny had been an executive PA before a period of chronic depression led to three years when she was unable to work. Although referred via the Job Centre’s Disability Employment Advisor, she was a very proud woman who hated being on benefits and being associated with both Job Centres and the mental health system. She did not engage well with these services and was now without support…

Carrie’s story:

From addiction to counselling

Carrie was referred via the Job Centre’s Disability Employment Advisor. She is a single mother of three and had been in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction for four years. She was keen to explore her options and particularly wanted to help others benefit from her own experience…

David’s story:

“…employment issues”
Surrey-based landscape gardening firm, G Burley and Sons Limited, employed David as a grass cutter. David has Asperger syndrome, a condition that very much affects his confidence and had previously led to various employment issues.

This story is told in the words of his Manager, Jeremy Sleeman:
“Before he came to us, David had been working for his local golf club. He’d found it hard there; he couldn’t keep more than two instructions in his head at a time. His boss had become frustrated and David had left, feeling unsupported and hard done by. He got in touch with ESRA as it specialises in helping unemployed people with mental health problems to get back to work. ESRA knew we were looking for someone to work at the Reigate and Banstead cemetery. They approached us and put David forward for the job. Happily, we accepted.

“…repetitive and straightforward tasks”
The position involved repetitive and straightforward tasks and seemed highly suitable for David. ESRA offered a financial incentive and assistance with training, which was great. One of the first things David did as part of his sponsored training was to pass his driving test. This enabled him to be more independent and to get to work on his own. I think it gave him a real boost.

“…work plan”
During David’s time with us we had monthly meetings with ESRA and a work plan was drawn up so that everyone felt supported. At times this seemed a bit of a formality, but ultimately it was really important for all involved.

“…oversaw a gang of three workers”
After a while we recognised that David was stagnating a bit and needed another challenge to help him develop. We asked him to work on a verge-cutting contract we had with the London Borough of Sutton. At first he resisted strongly, probably through fear of the unknown. But in the end he was persuaded. In the event he did extremely well; he oversaw a gang of three workers and was himself the most reliable member of his team. This was the making of David. His confidence grew and grew.

“…remarkable change”
David was with us for three or four years. After the contract expired he transferred to the Local Authority. His development has continued and he recently gained the confidence to move away from home. At a recent meeting, David’s mother expressed her pleasure at seeing such a remarkable change in David during his time with us. David’s progress made me realise how important a job is for people. It gives a structure to their lives and helps build their confidence and skills. You know things have worked out when people do not stand out and are not being treated any differently from others. This is the stage David had got to, so it was a real success – both for him and for us.

Jeremy Sleeman, Manager, G. Burley and Sons Limited.

Vicky’s story:

“…depressive tendencies”
During my teens and early twenties, my depressive tendencies made me feel unsafe. I was getting into all sorts of trouble and eventually I became too scared to go out alone. I spent most of my time in my flat and when I did venture out I’d end up having panic attacks and getting into more trouble. Regular employment was out of the question.

Eventually, with the help of a support worker, I began to get out a bit more, and one day I came across a poster advertising local taekwondo classes. I’d done karate when I was younger and thought I’d give it a go. My support worker encouraged and accompanied me, and after my first class I was hooked. After two months of taekwondo I was a completely different person: more confident, more optimistic. This gave me the boost I needed, and I asked my social worker about how I could go about doing some voluntary work.

“…course on getting back to work”
My social worker put me in touch with ESRA, and I began a course on getting back to work. It was all quite daunting. I was still on medication, I didn’t drive and I had hardly spoken to anyone in years. The prospect of group work was utterly terrifying. But the people at ESRA were amazing. My employment support worker helped me focus on what I wanted to do and how I should go about achieving it. I’d always been sporty and wanted to do something in that area. I had one scary interview for a job I didn’t want and pulled out of another. I was so nervous about the whole thing. It was clearly going to be a long process.

“…assistant instructor!”
In the meantime, the taekwondo was going really well. My instructor had noticed my ‘natural ability’ and offered me a voluntary teaching position. After only three years of training, I achieved my black belt. Back at ESRA, my adviser suggested a meeting with my taekwondo instructor about possibly working for him. Next thing I know, after her persistence, I was offered the position of assistant instructor! I couldn’t believe it. With the help of ESRA I was then placed on Workstep.

“…ESRA’s there for me”
They provided funding for my training and gym membership. I am now a fully qualified instructor under the ITF, taekwondo’s official governing body. I still have bad days when I can’t deal with anything, but I know that if things get too much I can call on ESRA to get in touch with my boss. It’s great to know that ESRA’s there for me.

“…someone to believe in me”
Things have really turned around for me. I have now opened two of my own taekwondo schools and have turned my hobby into a fulltime job – and I’m loving every minute of it. I also recently represented England at the taekwondo European Championships where I won silver! ESRA are also helping with the funding towards the World championships in Germany. A few years ago all this would have seemed impossible. I just needed someone to believe in me, and someone to help me back into work.

Flo’s story:

“…Back to work plan”
Flo contacted ESRA again in February this year at which point she had a part time job in a clothes shop. Working with Flo quite intensely, ESRA supported her to sort out some serious benefits issues and helped her to put a CV together. While we were doing a ‘Back to Work Plan’, it became clear that Flo’s pre-illness history of working with children, even raising money to go to Romania to work in an orphanage for a year, was still where her talents and interest lay.

“…Teaching Assistant”
ESRA put her in contact with a local school that was known to be a good employer, having discovered through the grapevine that it was looking for a Teaching Assistant. We supported Flo through the interview procedure and she was offered the job. We also helped her throughout the Occupational Health process, did a very complicated ‘better off’ check to make sure she knew exactly what her financial situation would be and, through New Deal money, provided her with a bicycle to enable her to keep transport costs down. Flo is still working at the school and really enjoying it.

William’s story:

Loss of confidence
He had lost a great deal of confidence and his sense of self was poor. However, it was clear that, at heart, he is an outgoing and sociable man but this side of his nature has been limited by lack of social contact or meaningful activities beyond life with his parents.

Part time employment
He attended ESRA’s Moving On course, with which he engaged extremely well, making contact with people again for the first time in recent years. We also helped him to access Craft Matters to both raise further his social confidence and give him the opportunity to take part in the sort of creative activity he used to enjoy. Two weeks into the ESRA course, William obtained a part time cleaning job under Supported Permitted Work Rules.

Penny’s story:

Determined to find paid employment
Penny presented as a capable, intelligent woman but it was clear that her confidence had been shot to pieces. She did not want to do ESRA’s Moving On course as she felt, quite rightly, that she was a little beyond that. We explored work tasters and various options but she was determined to find paid employment. She did get a full time job as a medical secretary at a hospital but struggled almost immediately and again became increasingly ill.

Counselling
ESRA met with HR and her line managers to help with finding a solution. Despite this Penny decided to leave and we helped her through this process. We then supported her through a period of counseling. This led to renewed confidence and she is now employed part time as an administrator for a local youth centre. She is enjoying this very much and not finding it too stressful.

Carrie’s story:

Strengths and weaknesses
As part of her Back to Work Plan, ESRA helped Carrie to identify her strengths and weaknesses. We then took her to a local project for homeless people, many of who suffer from substance misuse issues. She went into voluntary work there with guidance from the organisation’s volunteer counsellor.

Counselling courses
ESRA helped her explore different counselling courses and assess what each could offer her. She has now been accepted onto a certificate course. ESRA has helped her find funding and also provided her with some books from her reading list. We also helped her find the right support as she had little confidence in her ability to handle the necessary written course work. We believe she has the skills and determination to make a great counsellor who will be able to use her own lived experience to the benefit of others.