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For Gareth, the descent into crisis was devastatingly swift. In 2013, a severe mental and nervous breakdown cost him his marriage and his home.
“I left the marital home and ended up in a real horrible bedsit place,” Gareth recalls. “I got made homeless from there and ended up in here.”
When Gareth arrived at YMCA Cheshire in 2018, he was at his lowest point. He was self-harming, struggling with his mental health, and battling to keep his drinking under control. He was also deeply apprehensive about what to expect.
“At first, I was a bit wary because I’d heard horrible stories about YMCAs and things like that,” he admits. “There were people here who did have alcohol and substance abuse problems, but there were also people like me, which I wasn’t expecting. I ended up gravitating towards them, and I started to engage more with the staff and the different programmes.”
That engagement proved to be the catalyst for his recovery. Drawing on his background in cooking, Gareth began volunteering his skills. Every Friday, he would cook a free meal for the other residents.
He also engaged with the ‘Kit Programme’, and his independence and ability to look after his space were quickly recognised by staff, who moved him from a single room into one of the YMCA’s apartments.
“My outlook on life changed, I think more than anything,” Gareth reflects. “When I first came in here, I just felt that I’d hit rock bottom. But things started to gel and come together for me.”
YMCA Cheshire didn’t just provide a roof; they provided a pathway forward. Staff helped Gareth enrol in a college course.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, threatening to derail his education, the YMCA secured a grant to provide him with a laptop and webcam so he could continue his studies remotely.
As he prepared to move on, staff also supported him in navigating the housing system, helping him secure a place in Alsager to be closer to his family.
Gareth’s journey hasn’t been without its setbacks. He successfully completed a foundation year at university with the goal of studying adult nursing, but changes to NHS rules regarding his past criminal record meant he couldn’t proceed with the degree.
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"I’m proud of what I’ve achieved."
However, the resilience he built at YMCA Cheshire meant this setback didn’t break him. Having recently regained his driving licence, Gareth pivoted and successfully returned to his former career as a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver.
Looking back at where he has come from, Gareth is profoundly reflective.
“I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, where I’ve come from, but I also recognise that if it wasn’t for this place, I wouldn’t be the person I am now.”
For others facing the darkness he once knew, Gareth offers a message of hard-won endurance:
I would like to tell them that yes, it’s hard sometimes, but I think you’ve got to keep putting that one foot in front of the other. Sometimes you will have those moments where you just think to yourself, ‘Is this really worth it?’ In my case, I would sit there sometimes and absolutely bawl my eyes out. But after a good cry, I started to think, ‘I can keep going, I can keep pushing myself.
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