Success Stories

Davids story

Vicky's story

Flo's story

William's story

Penny's story

Carrie's story

David's story

In 2004, Surrey-based landscape gardening firm, G. Burley and Sons Limited, employed David as a grass cutter. David has asperger’s syndrome – a condition that very much affects his confidence and had previously led to various employment issues.

“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 who specialise 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Vicky's story

Vicky is a black belt in taekwondo and recently represented England in the European Championships, where she claimed silver medal. For years Vicky suffered with depression, which led to drug and alcohol misuse and numerous run-ins with the police. She spent the majority of her late teens in secure units

“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.

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. Sara, 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.

In the meantime, the taekwondo was going really well. My instructor had noticed my ‘natural ability’ and offered me a voluntary teaching position. In March 2004, after only three years of training, I achieved my black belt. Back at ESRA, Sara suggested a meeting with my taekwondo instructor about possibly working for him. Next thing I know, after Sara’s 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.

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.

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 this July. 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.

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Flo's story

Flo was diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis and, 6 years later, was referred to ESRA when she 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.

She contacted us again in February this year at which point she was working part time at 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. ESRA put her in contact with a local school, who was known to be a good employer, and ESRA had discovered through ‘the grapevine’ were looking for a Teaching Assistant. ESRA supported Flo through the interview procedure and she was offered the job. ESRA supported 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.

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Williams story

William had been diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder 15 years ago and had to stop work. For the last 8 years, he has been caring for his terminally ill father who died in February this year. He was referred to ESRA shortly after this via the Job Centre’s Disability Employment Advisor. He has lost a great deal of confidence and his sense of self is poor. However, it is clear that, at heart, he is an outgoing and sociable man who has had no social contact or meaningful activities beyond life with his parents. He is now attending ESRA’s Moving On course, with which he is engaging extremely well. He is making contact with people for the first time and ESRA has helped him to access Craft Matters so that he can increase his social confidence and engage in the sort of creative activity he used to enjoy. Two weeks into the course, William obtained a part time cleaning job under Supported Permitted Work Rules.

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Penny's story

Penny was an Executive PA who had suffered from chronic depression and had not worked for 3 years. 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 Job Centres and the Mental Health system. She did not engage well with these services and was now without support. Penny presented as a capable, intelligent woman but 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 became increasingly ill. ESRA met with HR and her line managers to help with finding a resolution. Penny decided to leave and ESRA helped support her through this process. We supported her through a period of having counselling and she is now employed part time as an administrator for a local youth centre. She is enjoying the work and not finding it too stressful.

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Carrie's story

Carrie was referred via the Job Centre’s Disability Employment Advisor. She is a single mother of three and has been in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction for four years. She was keen to explore her options and wanted to help others benefit from her experience. As part of her Back to Work Plan, ESRA helped Carrie to identify her strengths and weaknesses. ESRA then took her to a local project for homeless people, many of who suffer from substance misuse issues. She undertook voluntary work there and has been guided by their volunteer counsellor. ESRA helped her explore counselling courses and what each may offer. She has now been accepted onto a certificate course, which she will start in September. ESRA has helped her identify funding and has provided her with some books from her reading list. ESRA has also helped her access support with her lack of confidence with written work. We believe she has the skills and determination to make a great counsellor.

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