When Ellie came to The RWF she was referred to us by another organisation that were finding it difficult to support her. Ellie had always had a mistrust in services and professionals as she had been let down time and time again. At the beginning she did not seem to want to engage with us on an emotional level. She did not want a mentor or to see the counsellor due to prior exchanges with services, she just wanted to climb and that was it.

After the first few climbing sessions she noticed that all the other ladies on the programme had been engaging with mentors and decided to give it a try. She built a good rapport with the mentor allocated to her and felt able to speak to her about what was happening in her life and ask for support regarding re-entering work or training. Ellie decided to do a decorating course which kept her busy and she felt no need to get involved with people she used to know. She was on a real productive streak, working with The RWF to apply for voluntary roles and enhancing her CV. She was eventually offered part-time paid work after a voluntary trial period.

Ellie has come such a long way since we met her last year, a complete turnaround, congratulations Ellie, you're doing great!