This is the Lock 50 Business Centre in Rochdale where Big Life group has it's offices.
I first visited here in June 2014, having started to turn my life around from addiction issues. I was looking for a safe place to experience a working environment in preparation for searching for a job. I had been signed off sick for several months and was nervous that going back to work might harm my sobriety.
The team here, who contribute to the Rochdale Pathways Drug and Alcohol Treatment Service, helped me to find my feet again in and crafted a volunteer placement for me to explore skills new and old. I was really happy to utilise some of my past planning skills to help out organising new community peer support groups and to learn about supporting other people's recovery.
Later in the year I was encouraged to apply for a job coordinating community and volunteering efforts for Big Life and was offered a full time role.
In the last 2 1/2 years I have been amazed by the large number of people affected by substance misuse, addiction or the knock-on effects of those things who are willing and passionate about giving their time to help others. Our volunteers have brought personal experiences, experiences of being affected by loved ones or just a willingness to help those in need. It's a real privilege to work with these individuals.
Many of them have gone on to find employment in similar fields and catching up with them and hearing about how they've carried on making a difference is such an emotionally fulfilling experience for me.
To be able to enable people to make that difference in their communities is a real honour and I've found a career I never thought to be possible when I walked into this office back in '14.