Single mum turns her life around – after landing a dream job

SINGLE mum Felicia Woodhouse has turned her life around – after landing a job she loves.
She has become a Mindfulness and Wellbeing tutor at Warrington and Vale Royal College – after getting help from 1-to-1 employment programme New Leaf.
Now she will be using new skills to help other people improve their lives.
When Felicia and her young daughter moved home she found herself unemployed, away from her support network and unsure of where to turn.
Finding a job was a priority but depression, anxiety and low self-confidence made that difficult. But her life started to take an upward turn when she was introduced to New Leaf while volunteering for Weaver Vale Housing Trust.
The New Leaf programme helps people to combat their personal barriers to employment through a combination of training, confidence building and volunteering, etc.
Felicia said: “Christine, my mentor, was great.My first meeting with New Leaf was overwhelming but each session with Christine felt like a positive step forward. We looked at different training options that could boost my qualifications and Christine managed to get me funding to complete a counselling qualification I had previously started.
“My hard work has paid off and I’ve landed a job doing something I love. I am now a Mindfulness and Wellbeing tutor at Warrington and Vale Royal College where I will be using the techniques I have learnt through New Leaf to help other people to improve their own lives.”
Nicky Price from the college said: “What I love about Felicia is she always giver her all. She uses her own experience to help others which is what makes her the perfect teacher. It makes me very happy to see Felicia fulfilling her dream”
Felicia getting her dream job has even had an impact on her daughter.
“One thing that I didn’t expect is how proud and excited my daughter is that I’ve got this job,” she said.
Led by Warrington’s Golden Gates Housing Trust, New Leaf is part of the Building Better Opportunities programme, funded by the European Social Fund and the National Lottery, through the Big Lottery Fund.
More details can be obtained from New Leaf.onl 01925 452132, email [email protected] or visit www.newleafcheshire.co.uk.