James found confidence, routine and a route back into work.
When James first came to Growing Well at Tebay Services, he was looking for a way to move forward.
After university and an apprenticeship, he had reached a point where he was not sure what came next. He enjoyed being outdoors and had gained valuable experience through conservation and practical work, but difficult workplace experiences had knocked his confidence. For a while, he found himself without the structure and routine that he knew helped him.
“I think I’d lost confidence that I could do a regular job,” he says. “Because of my past experiences, I felt I was going to struggle.”
James had seen information about Growing Well locally. At first, he was not sure whether it was for him, but he eventually decided that he needed to do something proactive.
“I thought I’d give it a go,” he says. “I wanted to do something where I was working outdoors, somewhere with structure.”
He still remembers arriving at Growing Well for the first time. He had visited the site beforehand, but his first full day made a lasting impression.
“I was taken aback by how friendly everyone was,” he says. “No one was intrusive, but people were interested in what I could contribute. I remember thinking, this is such a fantastic place to come every week.”
At Growing Well, James found a weekly routine that helped him settle. The days had a clear structure, with time to arrive, talk through the work, get out on to site, share lunch and return to practical tasks in the afternoon.
“I liked knowing what was going to happen,” he says. “You come in, have a cup of tea, talk about what you’re going to do, go and do the work, come back for lunch, and then go back out again. That really added a good structure to the day.”
The work itself also helped. James learned how to pick crops carefully, plant at the right distances, water correctly, prepare produce and work alongside others. He enjoyed measuring rows, putting stakes in, planting crops so they would not become overcrowded, and helping to build a work table that had to be finished before the end of the day.
“I liked the challenge of that,” he says. “It gave me more confidence and more of an understanding of how things are done.”
For James, the benefit of Growing Well was not only in the horticulture. It was also in the conversations that happened while people worked side by side.
“It was really the people that made it,” he says. “Everyone had their own things going on, and their own quirks. Sometimes you just talked about ordinary things, and that made it easier.”
As well as working on the site, James had regular support sessions to think about goals and next steps. Over time, he began to see how the skills he was building at Growing Well could help him beyond the site: communication, teamwork, time management and asking for help when he was not sure about something.
“I think probably the ability to ask for help is one of the biggest things,” he says. “I feel more confident saying, I’m not sure about that, or I need help. I’m more confident about what I can and can’t do.”
That confidence has carried into his working life. James now works at the Northbound services at Tebay Services, serving hot breakfasts and lunches in a busy kitchen environment. His role means communicating with chefs, keeping track of what needs replenishing, serving customers and thinking ahead when queues build.
Although the setting is different, he can see the connection between the skills he practised at Growing Well and the confidence he now uses at work.
“When you’re at work, you have to communicate with people,” he says. “You have to remember what you’ve told people, know when to ask, and know when something needs doing.”
He also feels that Growing Well helped him understand the kind of working environment where he could do well.
“Growing Well met me where I was,” he says. “It was a working environment where you weren’t going to be belittled if you got something wrong. That helped me feel more confident.”
For James, Growing Well became a transition between a difficult previous experience and a more positive future.
“It was a very friendly introduction to a routine of the world of work,” he says. “It helped ease me into my new job. It showed me that it was possible, that I could do that.”
Recently, James took part in Miles for Minds, the fundraising walk organised by the Westmorland Family in support of Growing Well. Having benefited from the charity himself, he wanted to give something back.
“Growing Well has given so much to me,” he says. “Taking part in Miles for Minds was a good way to give back.”
He reached his fundraising target, with support from people in his local community, and really enjoyed getting involved and being part of the day.
Asked how he would describe Growing Well to someone who has never been before, James says it is a place where people can step away from the pressures of everyday life, spend time outdoors and begin to move forward in a friendly, non-judgemental environment.
“I’d recommend it to anyone,” he says. “It gives you space, routine and a friendly environment. It gave me the confidence to know I could do things, even when I felt I couldn’t.”
James, supported by Growing Well at Tebay Services.