What led you to volunteering with Bridewell?
About 10 years ago I had an experience of a colleague and friend at work who had a long history of mental health issues, she took some stress related time off then came back too early and ended up resigning. We didn’t know her history, so were unable to help, and I found the experience really upsetting. Times have changed and my firm is much more aware of the mental health issues now.
About 6 months after that I saw an advert for a similar charity to Bridewell asking for a blacksmithing volunteer. As a hobby I had undertaken various courses in blacksmithing so I thought I would offer my skills. I worked at the other charity for two or three years, but eventually got a bit too involved as I was both a volunteer and a trustee and found the conflicting priorities between them became too much, so I withdrew. Then about six months later, my blacksmithing friend John Hastings spotted an advert for Bridewell blacksmithing volunteers, so we applied and were fortunate to be accepted together. That was about eight years ago, and I’ve been coming to Bridewell for a morning each week ever since.
My inspiration is to make a small difference to somebody, so they don't find themselves in a similar situation to my former colleague. That would be fantastic. I have another story of colleague, one of our business leaders, who had a nervous breakdown, had six months off work but after having that rest and recuperation he came back to work and joined the senior management team of the firm. So, it just shows that with care and time it’s perfectly possible to be a high performing individual even if you have ongoing mental health issues.
What skills & qualities do you think you need to volunteer at Bridewell?
The main skill is that you must be patient because people suffering from mental health issues don't always pick up techniques immediately first time or even second time. A few weeks later they might come back into the forge, and you almost have to start from scratch so ultimately patience is the key, I think.
Most Bridewell volunteers need a passion for gardening. I don't necessarily share that passion for plantsmanship, but I do think that if you are a volunteer then patience is an ideal attribute. Some gardening skills are an advantage, but of course if you do come to volunteer at Bridewell, full instruction is given but a willingness to muck in is important - sometimes you might need to do a bit of cooking or some mundane weeding, so it is important to be flexible and enthusiastic.
It shows that with care and time it's perfectly possible to be a high performing individual even if you have ongoing mental health issues.
What do you find most rewarding about the role?
I really get a buzz from both learning new skills or passing on skills. Working in the forge as a blacksmithing volunteer - it’s quite a scary place to come to if you've not done that sort of thing before. When I see somebody's face at lunchtime when they do a show and tell after their first session. They may have never picked up a hammer before, certainly never heated a bit of steel up to hotter than red hot and then used a hammer and anvil to make something - for example a little hook or a twisted key fob perhaps with their initial stamped into the metal. I see the sort of pride in their eyes and that’s what I like most.
How did you get into blacksmithing?
When I was a student, at the end of the first year of an electrical engineering degree we had to do six weeks of workshop practise - so practical skills rather than academic skills. That involved working in a machine shop on lathes and milling machines; working in a foundry casting aluminium and brass, having made our own wooden patterns; welding, electrical assembly on the printed circuit boards and finally five or six days in a blacksmith’s shop making tools. Over the years I have gradually lost the tools that I made then, punches, chisels, tongs, and a box spanner.
Then about 15 years or so ago a friend of mine was getting married and he wanted to do something exciting, so we went down to Exeter to the Blacksmith’s Guild for a taster day in blacksmithing. I thought to myself at the end of the day ‘I'm not too shabby at this, I think I ought to go back and do a bit more.’ So, I went back and did all the Blacksmith Guild courses that were available. I did some evening classes when I was working in London and then invested in some equipment at home and for my holidays I used to go off and do specialist courses with some of the country’s leading artist and heritage blacksmiths and I did a couple of courses in Sweden making axes at the axe-making factory.
If my friend hadn’t suggested that day doing blacksmithing all those years ago, I might not have discovered blacksmithing. What are the chances?!
I see the sort of pride in their eyes and that's what I like most.
