Job Centre Plus told me about Restore as it was obvious to them I wasn’t well. I was having a breakdown and I didn’t realise. I had lost my job because I was double-checking everything.
I’ve been coming to Restore’s North Oxfordshire Service for 18 months and when I started we were in the old building. Everybody was so friendly and there was such a family atmosphere and we’ve brought that with us. Doing the move has made us feel part of everything – it feels like ours.
I’ve been particularly involved in setting up the shop. I was really excited we could sell some stuff and pay back to Restore in some way. I had a vision for it and it’s come to fruition and that feels really good. Restore give you such encouragement and support in whatever you want to try and do – not just the staff and volunteers, but the members support each other.
I’m about to start work again as I now feel as though I can do it. It’s a part-time job for a call centre, working from home. Restore has been very supportive and it’s one step at a time. Once I’ve got that up and running, I want to volunteer here as I’d like to give something back. Restore has been a godsend for me.