Matt Campbell
Matt Campbell, 22, from Plymouth,
recounts the dramatic events in his life and
explains how The Prince's Trust gave him direction in finding
a job.
"After suffering years of
abuse at the hands of a family member my brother and I had a
decision to make. Either we stay where our abuser could still get
to us or go and live with our mum – leaving our family and friends.
It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.
"So, when I was nine and my brother was 11-and-a-half, we moved
to Plymouth from Swindon to live with our mum. We had to adapt to a
lot of change. School was something I had to do rather than enjoy
and after six months of college I dropped out. I started working at
Pizza Hut. But then I had more upheaval. My mum found out my
stepdad was cheating on her and we moved to Ipswich. I tried again
to continue my education and enrolled at a local college to do fine
art and graphic media. I was there for seven months until a family
holiday changed my life all over again. My mum took me and my
little sister to Turkey and fell in love with the place. She
decided to move there, taking my little sister with her. I had
another tough decision to make – stay in the UK or go to Turkey. I
decided to stay. I was 17 and had no money behind me.
"So I moved to Plymouth to live with my brother. I started going
from job to job with only the need to pay my way as motivation.
None of them held my interest or inspired me. In August 2004 I met
my girlfriend, Ellie. Four years on and I’m still with her. I
started hairdressing and working part-time for Toni and Guy which
soon turned into full-time. At last I was doing something that kept
my interest. Just when I thought I was going somewhere I was made
redundant.
"November 2006 was another life-changing point in my life – my
son, Maddox, was born. This put even more pressure on me to find
employment and have a steady wage coming in.I started working as a
labourer in a factory and although it put food on the table there
was no job satisfaction. It was hard to get up every day to go into
work.
"When I heard of the Get into Gardening and
Landscape Maintenance programme I jumped at the opportunity. The
Prince’s Trust and The National Trust have been really encouraging
and supportive. The course has been very enjoyable and it’s great
to work in such amazing surroundings. It couldn’t have gone better
and The National Trust has actually given me a job. Maybe in
the future I could start up my own landscaping and gardening
business. It will be a way to stay creative while earning enough
money to support my family. I would love to create something that
will make a difference to someone and stand back at the end of the
day and say, 'I did that'."
