Basically, I was every secondary school teachers NIGHTMARE, I was a loud mouthed, gobby shit and didn’t like being told what to do. I had to question everything and challenge something I didn’t understand, like rules… And to be honest I haven’t changed much in that department.
I was glad and nervous to be leaving school. At lease at school, I knew who I was (well I thought I did). So the thought of leaving school was pretty daunting because I didn’t have a Scooby doo, what I wanted to be and who I would become.
The standard/normal sequence of leaving school / growing up, is either higher education, YTS (which is now known as an apprentice) or go to work. I did the latter, for a while, until I had sex, at 16 and got caught pregnant, giving birth at 17, so I kinda had no choice but to become a mother. 5 years later at 21 I became a mother again, however at this time I was working P/T, mainly on the fiddle.
Then at around 23, i sucombed to taking far too much amphetamine, resulting in me being sectioned at the tender age of 24. It was at this time I had to carry on what I had been doing OR #Have a word wi me sen! again I chose the latter ( I will no doubt blog more about myself but for now 24 years later here are a few of my professional achievements
You can go to my Linkedin profile to find out more about me, but below are a couple of projects I have been instrumental in setting up and am proud of, further down are some awards I have received along the way
Projects I have been involved in
Project nameAsk for Angela –
May 2017 – Present
What is it?
‘Ask for Angela’ was instigated by Hayley Child, the Substance Misuse Strategy Coordinator for Lincolnshire County Council in 2016: the campaign received rave reviews from members of the public, but has also been endorsed and rolled out in other cities across the UK.
The scheme is focused on supporting those people who feel unsafe, intimidated or threatened.
Sheffield Best Bar None and Sheffield Pub Watch has teamed up with Sheffield Domestic Abuse Coordination Team (DACT) and South Yorkshire Police to launch the “Ask for Angela” in Sheffield: the aim is to reassure anyone on a night out whose evening is not going well.
How does it work?
The initiative applies to women, men, straight or LGBT + who may be on a date or on a night out but are feeling uncomfortable or even threatened. They can approach the staff of the premises they are in and use the code words “Is Angela in?” The staff will then know that the person is in need of assistance and will help to remove them from the situation and call a taxi if necessary.
The poster is a visual aid which might provide a vital life-line to someone who finds themselves in a difficult situation and can’t get out of it.
‘Hi, I’m Angela,’ the poster says. ‘Are you on a date that isn’t working out? Do you feel like you’re not in a safe situation? Is your Tinder or POF [Plenty of Fish] date not who they said they were on their profile? Does it all feel a bit weird?’
Ask for ‘Angela’ isn’t just for people on dates, there could be someone in your premises acting inappropriately, and if it’s happened to one person, there’s a good chance this has happened to others
‘If you go to the bar and ask for ‘Angela’ the bar staff will know you need some help getting out of your situation and will call you a taxi or help you out discreetly – without too much fuss.’
BBN is providing FREE training by Sheffield’s commissioned Domestic Abuse Services and will provide the resources needed to promote in premises
Project nameHelp us Help – Sheffield begging Campaign
Sep 2016 – Present
• Developing and chairing a multiagency working group in the city center responding to ASB, Vulnerable and complex needs within the city centre. The groups approach is to coordinate support and interventions to meet the safeguarding and support needs of individuals of concern and respond to identified individuals Anti-Social Behaviour within the city centre – part of this work was creating an Anti-Begging Campaign for Sheffield See project Help us Help – Sheffield begging Campaign See project
Project namePutting it into words – Video for families affected by drugs
2008 – Present
launched nationally, through ADFAM Families talk about the impact that a loved one’s substance use has had on their livesSee project Putting it into words – Video for families affected by drugs See project
Honors & Awards
- Sheffield Star https://sheffieldbestbarnone.com/ask-angela-campaign/
