Steve Wyatt, who has overcome a 22-year dependancy to medicine to observe his dream of working his personal furnishings restoration store, will attend the Constructing Shropshire Jobs Honest on July 20 to encourage people to observe their goals and never surrender.
The occasion at Shrewsbury jail will happen from 10am to 3pm and is being hosted by Shropshire-based supported employment and coaching charity Landau, which works with a spread of susceptible unemployed people, together with ex-offenders, to get them again into work.
Phil Taylor, chief operations officer for the charity, stated: “Steve’s story is kind of exceptional, and we expect he’ll present quite a lot of inspiration to people who find themselves at the moment unemployed or at a crossroads of their life and don’t fairly know what to do or the place to show.
“His story is an impressive instance of how regardless of how difficult and difficult life may appear, by not giving up hope and in search of the precise help, you’ll be able to change route and switch issues round for the higher and we all know that this may resonate with many people.
“In addition to listening to about Steve’s personal private journey to success, these attending the roles honest will be capable of converse to a spread of various employers from throughout the area about present vacancies or search recommendation from our personal employment advisors on coaching and job help. We’re right here to assist as many individuals as attainable transition again into work or discover extra significant and sustainable employment.”
Previously from Birmingham, Steve’s journey began seven years in the past when he admitted himself to rehab following a protracted dependancy to medicine, which had seen him residing tough on the streets and spending time in jail.
To assist him recuperate, he started a 12-step remedy programme, and it was throughout this time that he realized the artwork of furnishings restoration and his love for it. It was additionally round this time that he met Jay Blades, host of BBC TV’s The Restore Store and proprietor of furnishings restoration firm Jay & Co which has workshops in Ironbridge and Wolverhampton.
“I distinctly bear in mind Jay asking me ‘what might you do totally different?’ and it actually caught in my head,” stated Steve.
“Quickly after that I began restoring bits of furnishings in my backyard and promoting them on-line. I’d moved from Birmingham to Poole to be with my accomplice and issues have been going properly.
“Simply earlier than the pandemic, a possibility for a workshop got here up domestically and this gave me a a lot larger house for my restoration work. It was a problem working with all of the restrictions, however I continued to supply and resell furnishings.
“In December 2020 issues moved on once more and I opened my first store Restored Retro, and I’d say I’ve bought within the area of 400 items of furnishings within the final 14 months alone which is simply unbelievable.
All through his journey, Steve has continued to obtain help from Jay and inside the previous couple of months, the pair have struck up a brand new enterprise partnership with Steve being one among solely 5 UK stockists to promote Jay’s personal assortment of furnishings.
Steve stated: “It’s been a tough journey I’m not going to lie, and I’ll always remember the place I’ve come from, however I’ve achieved so much and I believe the message to different individuals who discover themselves in a scenario is to by no means surrender. I simply held onto what I needed to do however I’d not be right here with out the help of these round me and a dream to observe. I began with completely nothing.”
The Constructing Shropshire venture was launched by Landau earlier this 12 months in partnership with Shropshire Council to help employers and job seekers throughout the county to construct again stronger from the pandemic.
Greater than 450 vacancies throughout numerous job sectors will likely be showcased on the occasion by greater than 30 totally different employers which embody Nationwide Constructing Society, Barclays Financial institution, Pave Aways Ltd, Wenlock Spring, Grainger and Worrell, JCA Journey Condover Corridor, Culina Logistics and The Wrekin Housing Group to call however just a few.