Ryan Roberts has recently secured a job at Glan Clwyd, after a troubled period of anxiety, soul searching and unemployment. Ryan, 22 from Abergele, broke through his mental health problems by initially volunteering at Carers Wales, before joining Crest Co-operative for a successful spell which concluded with a paid job with League of Friends.
Ryan candidly stated “I was really unhappy with my direction in life. I was in college, doing the wrong course. I was asking myself, ‘What next? What are you going to do with yourself? I can’t stay like this forever’.”
Realising he needed to take action, he decided to volunteer. “I was volunteering for Carers Wales and they helped me to engage and chat with people more. Before that I struggled with my anxiety. I even struggled to talk to friends and loved ones.”
Before long, Ryan felt he needed to explore different avenues. “I saw Crest Co-operative at an event celebrating Volunteers Week, run by Community and Voluntary Support Conwy (CVSC). I saw John, the Volunteer Co-ordinator, on stage doing a presentation about Crest and was really interested. Crest sounded appealing and somewhere were I can get skills to help me get towards paid employment.”
After a successful interview Ryan was placed in Crest’s Retail department to help further increase his social skills. “On my first day I met the team and quickly buddied up with another volunteer, Gwyn. For the first few weeks Gwyn really helped me out, we developed a Bromance! But eventually I wanted to break away from that and volunteer on my own, to show I can work independently. Seeing my own progress, it felt great.”
Despite Ryan’s progress at the social enterprise, based in Llandudno Junction, his goal was to gain employment, and, having received knowledge of a vacancy at Debenhams Llandudno, he wanted to give himself every chance to be considered for the role. “It was seasonal work, but just the experience of going through an interview was valuable. Crest really helped me out with my interview technique by giving me a mock interview.”
Ryan may not have got the job, but it helped spur him on. “My focus was to keep trying and trying and applying for as many jobs as I could. There was a lot of rejection, but I kept at it. My attitude changed; that interview helped me become more determined to get a paid job. I knew eventually I would get a ‘yes’ and I did”.
Eventually Ryan’s hard work paid off, and he received an offer at League of Friends in Glan Clwyd Hospital on a 20 hour permanent contract, helping out in their shop and tea bar. “My main duty is to ensure that stocks are high, but it’s also help running the tea bar, doing the orders, using the till and looking after our volunteers; some of these duties are similar to what I was doing in Crest.”
In his spare time Ryan loves to spend time with his girlfriend, listen to music and is a huge fan of Nintendo video games and specifically, The Legend of Zelda. “My favourite game of all time is either Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild”.
His time at Crest may have come to an end, but 2020 is already looking like a great year ahead for Ryan. “Crest was the stepping stone I needed to gain employment. It gave me the confidence, skills and knowledge I needed to take that next stage in life. I don’t think I would have been as settled in this job as I am without volunteering there.”