​Paul's Story

​In 1989 I resigned from the police force having served 13 years in the Met as a PC and Sergeant and 2 years in Hampshire Constabulary having just been promoted to sergeant again but was suffering from stress. We have two sons of our own but the younger has cystic fibrosis and we were told by the doctor he wouldn't live past five years of age, hence our move to the Isle of Wight and our attempt to adopt two little girls which went badly wrong.
One day in 1991 I was walking the dog and wondering what life was all about. I threw a ball and it bounced into a hedge: on one side was a wall and the other a hedge along this alley. I searched for a total of six hours over three days trying to find this ball but failed. I looked in the hedge, under the hedge, round the hedge but to no avail. Even the dog couldn't find the ball!
I remembered what my wife once said; 'if you want to find out if there is a God, pray about something.'
She had gone to church for many years and even got confirmed in the Church of England by a bishop shortly after we got married, but she returned from church one Sunday on the Isle of Wight and said she'd become a Christian. I thought she was always a Christian. In any event I checked nobody was coming, got down in one knee, closed my eyes and said, "if there's a God, show me where this ball is."
When I opened my eyes it was right in front of me. I thought, that's a coincidence but couldn't understand why I hadn't seen it before I closed my eyes.
I went looking for evidence of God and discovered He existed. It frightened the hell out of me. I didn't know what heaven was like but I reasoned that if Hell was anything like being on the Isle of Wight, unemployed with no prospects and a family and mortgage to support, I didn't want to go there so I accepted Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross, which paid the penalty for all my sins, as my Saviour.
Shortly afterwards I rejoined the Met and served the next 13 years as a Christian, joining the CPA (Christian Police Association) where I later produced a Christian comic book of testimonies called 'Cops and Robbers' (www.copsandrobbers.uk).
I retired in 2006. My son is now 38.






​

Mike's Story


I was born in Lichfield in 1952, my parents
were both police officers. My dad was a
“constable” for thirty-one years, my mum
was the first woman police officer in
Lichfield.
My first school was St.Michaels primary in
Lichfield which was C of E. I went to Sunday
school on a Sunday afternoon but didn’t
really absorb the story.
My parents were Christian’s but we only
went to Church “high days and holidays” so I
had no real knowledge of the Bible.
In my secondary school which was called
Nether Stowe firstly the religious lessons
were called Religious Instruction then
renamed Religious Education the school was
again C of E.
I was an only child and very timid and shy
especially with a surname like mine and
being a “coppers kid”.
I was always worrying and being of a nervous
disposition. I failed my 11+.
The worrying continued through my teenage
years and I wasn’t a very good scholar with
no real academic qualifications. In fact I
even failed my driving test first time due to
nerves.
​
When I was twenty-one I was diagnosed with
ulcerative colitis and in the same year which
was 1973 I had my first Nervous Breakdown.
So from April 1973 I have been a service
user, I was a regular patient at Good Hope
Hospital and various mental health
institutions.
I got married in 1979 and we had my
“guardian angel” Sam in 1989. The marriage
was far from a success and we divorced in
1993.
In 1994 I had my large colon taken out by Mr
Allan at Good Hope and I was given a stoma
which has changed my life.
From then on I have lived at many forms of
accommodations including council flats, bed
sits and lodgings. I have also had many jobs
the longest being a junior cashier at
Wintertons Auctioneers for twenty two years.
Apart from that job due to my health I
couldn’t keep a job down.
BUT one day I was lying in the bath in my
digs in Ashbourne and I looked up at the
ceiling. I had this thought that despite
everything I was still here and that I
suddenly realised I couldn’t do it on my own
that there must be a God!
Since then my faith has wavered but at the
back of my head I have remained a Christian.
When I have had my “episodes” I get
delusions of grandeur thinking that I am
Jesus which is a common occurrence with
mental health patients.
So to get to the bottom of my thoughts I
joined three alpha courses. Since September
1973 I have been writing poetry with a lot
having a religious connection.
I used to run a group for mental health
service users called “Open Door of Hope”
and at one point we had 70 members I
started this group in 2003.
In 2013 a lady called Jenny joined the group
and we became good friends, I moved in with
her in Kings Bromley in May 2014. She has
been a life saver.
On 27th December Jenny fell down the stairs
from the second step at the top to the
bottom. She was carrying a plant in one
hand and a glass vase in the other. She
landed on her head on the Khardean flooring.
I had only been out for five minutes but came
back to find her in a pool of blood.
It is a miracle she survived and she is still
here today so that incident renewed my
faith.
In 2023 to say to thank you to the NHS for
keeping me alive I organised an event called
“Meeting of Minds” which was my 50th
anniversary of being a patient.
In 2024 I held “meeting of minds 2” at the
Guildhall in Lichfield. Next year again I am
​being supported by MPFT in mental health
awareness week on 14thMay.
This time I have hire Pirelli Stadium in Burton
on Trent. I have also started a Facebook
group called “Mental Health Mike”. I wonder
why?...........

 Freddie's Story

I have lived a very lucky life. I have been to amazing countries, had amazing experiences and opportunities and have the most amazing friends and family. But my life has been conflicted with a rollercoaster of emotions from the highs to the lows. Through the breakdowns, the depression and the anxieties, I met Jesus. 

All my life I have had autism, a spectrum where you are and feel different to a lot of people. But throughout my life I learnt not to let this define me, like an underdog I proved a lot of people wrong. In my past career as a chef in which I did for 4 years, I battled many doubts and anxieties, but as said in the footprints in the sand poem “the years when you saw one set of footprints, my child is when I carried you”. 
In 2022, I had a breakdown. I was done with life, lost, depressed and considered taking my own life. But then I rediscovered prayer and one night everything changed. From getting a great new career opportunity as a learning mentor (teaching assistant) at Walsall College through God’s calling after a brutal 4 years as a chef, to finally passing my driving test on the third attempt, and of course being lucky enough to come along to Instep weekends and events, this was all done through my faith in Jesus. In that I am reminded of the chorus of a song by skillet: “I can face my darkest night, cause I trust you with my life, I’m not afraid for you are my refuge”.
Before officially coming to faith in Christ, I would describe my relationship with God as an on and off relationship. Even though I was confirmed in the church of England as a teenager, it wasn't till officially attending Sutton Coldfield Baptist Church where I attended alpha and was baptized in February 2024 was where I answered the door to Jesus. 
In my opinion the best thing about being a christian along with the wonderful spirit of Jesus, is the community of people you meet great christian people, whom I owe everything to. I recently learned this after going through a very traumatic event where I was surrounded by wonderful christian friends who prayed and comforted me in my hour of need. It really goes to show through times of trouble  the need for God to be good and loving is crucial. To quote psalm 62 v5: yes my soul find rest in god my hope comes from him. 
Although I have had struggles throughout my life, I am very proud of the opportunities Jesus gave to me by becoming a pillar of the community and being the best man I can be. God knows I’m not perfect but knows the journey continues and that you are loved and going to be ok. In psalm 16:11 it is said: ‘you make known to me the path of life, in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore’. I know good things will come because God is good. I have been very lucky to discover Instep, in which I attended my first event in 2023 and it has been a real joy, meeting an incredible group of gentlemen whom have really helped me grow spiritually which was especially shown when I attended the Instep weekend in 2024, where I did incredible walks, and was immersed in wonderful worship and meditations. 
I pray in the next years in my life, my further journey with the Lord will continue to be a real blessing and help me be a blessing to all those around me, in him I give my life to.