Hi everyone, i hope this fiinds you all in good mental health.

I thought, today, i would write about feeling safe working with an organization, that i am involved with.

About two years ago, i had started to go to a cafe called, Sams Cafe. It is a meeting place for anyone in the community who want to meet up for different groups within the community. The Cafe is run by a company called Access.

I was meeting people there for the Burgh Castle project. I can be there for about ten mins, before i feel really sick. I could see the exits, in and out of the room, as i need to see my escape routes at all times. This is a major comfort thing for me. But this was going on every fortnight. I then found would start asking myself a question about the organisatin and what they are doing.

Every member of the staff i have met, within Access, have made me feel welcome and relaxed. From saying hello to me in the cafe, to meeting them through different projects they organize. I would like to talk about some of the people who work with the projects.

Lets start with Gary. Gary takes me and the rest of the group to the Burgh Castle project, when Tod not there. Gary is a proper down to earth bloke. He talks about his job with so much passoin, its quite catching. He also talked about another project he is involved in, which i am glad to say, i am also enjoying, and that is the war graves project, where we go to graveyaards, and tidy up the old war graves that have been sadly neglected. I love readig the headstones while i am making them tidy. I really enjoy this project.

Then we have Lee. Lee, sadly, is no longer working with Access, as he has found his dream Job, But this does not denote the impact he had on people in the cafe. He was very passionate about the job, and the people he got onto other projects. Although he did stich me up once, on a lunch project I attended. He asked me to speak ….. I was not prepared at all, and had to do a talk, off the cuff, but as i was at the cafe, i felt safe, so i stood up and did a five min talk…Thanks for that Lee!!

While i was living out in the sticks, Tod Sullivan, through social media, put me in contact with the Access Social Prescribing Team. So we come to Beth. Well, what can i say about Beth. I think she is the most passionate person i have ever met, and considering the others i have spoke about, thats saying a lot. She is so positive and has helped me loads with my living with mental health journey.

I have had the honour, of sitting on interview panels for Access, for one of thier new projects they have got going. I have also took part insome training for the social prescribing team with Todd, and for some of the team of Access. I talked to them about my situation and how i feel safe within thier organisation.

I think what i am trying to get across here is, how much i appreciate the people i have mentioned above, and the fantastic company Access. They have brilliant people working with them, and they help people like me, gain trust and self respect, through all the work and projects they do.

So a big Thank You Access, you help me keep positive, feeling safe and looking forward to the furure. If you need any more help, weather it be sitting on panels or joining any project, you know where i am.

Take care everyone, stay safe and be well.