"Football truly saved my life"

About: Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust / Adult mental health (inpatient)

(as a staff member posting for a patient/service user),

The problems started when I was 14 and I kept getting into trouble. When I was 18 I was diagnosed with schizophrenia and I also suffered depression.

In 2006 I got involved with the Social Inclusion and Wellbeing Team who after talking to me found out about my passion for football. With the help of the team I completed the FA Level 1 and 2 coaching courses for sports leaders. I am now a volunteer at Stonebridge running the pitch activities and at Bilborough Pelicans. I am club captain at Notts County Pan Disability Team and in 2012 I was nominated as disability player of the year.

I feel now that the future is bright and my ambition is to be a coach on a disability football team. The Social Inclusion and Wellbeing Team helped me to take the first step on the rung of the ladder. I was quite volatile before but they made me feel at ease. They had confidence in me, which was a first for me!

I can say that football truly saved my life. I love football; watching, playing and coaching and I want to break down the barriers associated with mental illness. There is stigma but I deal with it by being open. My coaching course taught me to encourage the young kids I work with to ask questions. After all it is only by asking questions that we can learn.

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Responses

Response from Jane Danforth, Involvement & Experience Officer, Involvement, Experience and Volunteering Team, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust 11 years ago
Jane Danforth
Involvement & Experience Officer, Involvement, Experience and Volunteering Team,
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

My role includes working with service users, carers, volunteers and staff to listen to your stories and feedback about care experiences. Working in partnership with Care Opinion is one way we gather feedback, meaning we find out what we do well and how you think we should improve. We really do want to hear from you and we reply to every story.

Submitted on 14/11/2012 at 20:54
Published on Care Opinion at 22:20


picture of Jane Danforth

What a fantastic story and so inspirational! You have achieved so much and well done for sticking at it. I hope you realise your ambition and wish you every success in the future. It is great to hear that the social inclusion and well-being team has played such an important role in your recovery.

Best Wishes

Jane

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