Naomi's Story

Naomi* joined our most recent programme when she was at a point in her life
where she wanted to stretch herself and learn new skills. Having been out of work
for a number of years, she was interested in being part of a group again.
Something that really appealed to her was that one of the main learning aspects
was building teamwork skills, and she wanted the opportunity to develop those
before thinking about going back into the workplace.

Years before, Naomi had been flourishing in her career, happy at home and
supporting her family. However, in recent years, she’d experienced difficulties, and
now found herself barely surviving on benefits, supporting her one child still at
home as well as other family members, and her confidence in her abilities in the
workplace were at an all-time low.

“I felt proud of myself for being brave and stepping out of my comfort zone. My
confidence soared and the programme helped me to feel confident and
prepared for what to expect next. I loved each session and I thought the
programme was fantastic. I loved coming along each week and the sense of a
group that had a lot of shared experiences. It was all very well organised, which
helped the feeling of safety and security, and most of all I loved the
manufacturing element, when we were busy producing the products, building
ourselves together as a team.”

“I think the way the group is run is great - there is a shared understanding of the
experiences we have had, but no one is expected to disclose what they have
experienced. That aspect is really significant.”

Completing LoveWell’s programme instilled in her a confidence that she had
long-forgotten. She rediscovered her management skills, through realising how
good her listening and organisational skills were.

“When we were divided into smaller groups for manufacturing, I noticed that I
started to take on a leadership role/support with guiding the group to complete
the tasks. I became more forthright in the group, and my confidence soared. The
manufacturing processes and procedures were really clear each week, so
because I knew which processes to follow, I felt like I knew exactly what to do and
was able to take on that guiding role. I knew what was expected of me, and I
helped other people in the group, and felt proud of that.

Naomi is now completing a 5-week work placement at one of Bristol’s universities,
and working with her mentor weekly.

“I became a completely different woman from who I was in the first week. I used
to be a team leader in previous roles, but that felt so far in the past, I had lost
part of who I was. The programme brought back those skills and the confidence I
needed to help me realise I had those skills. They hadn’t gone anywhere, they just
needed the right environment to bring them out.

“What I have come away with is worth more than money, it means so much to
me. I gained more from LoveWell’s programme than I did in the working world
for the previous 7 years. So much of it stands out - the warm welcome, the team,
getting strawberries each week. For someone who is damaged, those small
things are incredibly important. I feel excited about what’s to come. ”