Award for man who turned
his life around
A Southport man who turned over a
new leaf to put his troubled past behind him has received an award in
recognition of his achievement. Tom Wilson received the Moore Award for
Personal Achievement at Adullam Homes' Moore Awards, in recognition of his
personal journey.
Launched in 2013, the Moore Awards recognise the work and inspirational
tales of service users and residents, as well as staff, volunteers and
students working for, or receiving treatment from socially-conscious housing
association Adullam Homes.
In 2010, a then 25 year old Tom was jailed by Liverpool Crown Court
following a blaze at his former residence after a disagreement with his
landlord.
After leaving prison Tom moved into supported accommodation with Adullam
and, with the help of support workers Steven Floyd and Phil Mackie, set out
to make amends for his prior behaviour. They worked with Tom to identify the
changes he needed to make in order to stay on the straight and narrow.
As part of his personal journey, Steven and Phil, along with Tom's
step father Bruce Soden, accompanied Tom on a 25 mile charity bike ride to
raise almost £300 for 'Action for Children' a charity that ran the Westdene
children's home where Tom spent a portion of his childhood.
Tom said:- "The Moore Awards were an amazing experience for me. I took
part in a play in front of everyone at the beginning of the ceremony. I
wouldn't have had the confidence do that 18 months ago.
It's a great feeling to know that my journey has been noticed by the staff.
After an amazing few months winning this award is the icing on the cake for
me.
I would like to thank all the staff at Adullam Homes for their support and
guidance. They've helped me turn my life around. I feel like a new person.
And new Tom is definitely here to stay."
Janet Taylor, regional manager for Adullam Homes in Merseyside, said:-
"The Moore Awards are an opportunity for us to highlight and reward the
great achievements of our staff, residents and service users, of which Tom
is a prime example. He has come a long way from when he first started
working with us. His commitment to keep up a better, healthier lifestyle has
impressed us all. But it is the change in his confidence that has impressed
us the most. He definitely deserves his Personal Achievement award." |
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Big Freeze leaves
lasting legacy in Liverpool
THE people of Liverpool were hit
with a snowstorm of facts and advice for reducing food waste when Love Food
Hate Waste came to Town in 2015.
The event was part of a national campaign designed to educate and inform the
general public about making the most of their freezer, and provided a
fascinating insight into the foods you can and can't freeze.
More than 8,000 people from across the UK learned about the importance of
reducing food waste at events in Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow,
Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.
Through interactive games, giveaways and competitions, people of all ages
and backgrounds were challenged to make the most of their freezers and to
discover how freezing and defrosting food can help to save money and reduce
food waste.
Emma Marsh, Head of Love Food Hate Waste, said:-
"This national campaign, across ten cities, made a huge impact on the habits
and understanding of the general public. We believe that the campaign has
enlightened many to the possibilities of freezing. For example, many people
didn't know it was possible to freeze eggs!"
More than 10% of attendees completed a 'pledge' form and vowed to
change their habits towards wasting less food and drinks.
Almost 50% of the 15 million tonnes of food thrown away in the UK comes from
our homes. Together we throw away 7 million tonnes of it and more than half
could have been eaten.
Buying and then throwing away good food and drink costs us £12.5 billion a
year. If we ate it, instead of wasting it, the impact on our environment
would be the equivalent of taking 1 in 4 cars off the road.
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