Mark's story

“Up until I decided to join the Double Impact Academy, I felt that there were very few successful achievements in my life, and the things I had achieved weren’t really things to be proud of, as it was more a case of putting right the wrongs I had done during my life.

Although I had beaten several addictions and was in remission from leukaemia I still had a very negative perception of the world and myself. During my time at Double Impact I have been able to increase my knowledge and understanding of myself and others. I have grown in confidence and self-esteem and acquired transferable skills around peer mentoring and peer support. Since starting at Double Impact I have become a Peer Mentor, a volunteer for another drug service, a motivational speaker for the Lincolnshire Action Trust, and a facilitator for Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust and the Probation Service.

The relationship between myself and my parents has greatly improved and for the first time ever I have a partner. I have enhanced my thinking and listening skills and learnt about tools and coping strategies which not only help others to understand themselves, but have enriched my own life with positivity, to the point that I am no longer on anti-depressants or anti-psychotics.

I am happy for the first time in living memory.”