From prison to employment: Lincoln man turns his life around

Lincoln man Andrew Thursby has spent years battling alcohol, drugs and homelessness after being in prison, but now he turned his life around working with Lincolnshire YMCA.

Struggling to cope with a family breakdown, Andrew, who is originally from the Humberside area, turned to drinking and drugs before being sentenced to 18 months in prison for burglary.

After a sustained period of homelessness, Andrew, now 32, eventually found refuge in Lincolnshire’s YMCA hostel in Lincoln and soon after his life began to change.

After two years, Andrew moved to live independently within the community and began volunteering for the YMCA as well as taking on temporary roles as a floating support worker and rents officer.

Aside from his volunteer work, Andrew spent the years gaining qualifications such as Diploma Level 2 in Health and Social Care, NVQ Level 2 in Business and Administration, as well as attending various day courses in Drugs Awareness and First Aid.

When a vacancy became available within the YMCA as a Night Worker with his wealth of experience within the YMCA, Andrew fit the bill and came out on top with his interview.

With his job in hand and his life back on track, Andrew can only look forward now with a sense of stability; “My new role as a night worker is placed in the YMCA hostel. I can build up a stable home for me and my cat.”

“My YMCA journey has been an uphill climb but when I got here, the view was well worth it,” he said.

Ian Benner, Housing Manager for Lincolnshire YMCA, says that Andrew’s efforts did not go unnoticed: “He’s an absolute star and when he was volunteering with us he could always be relied upon to do tasks at the drop of a hat.”