I was born in 1974 and raised in the Pill area of Newport and spent most of the 1990’s until 2005 working in jobs that didn’t satisfy my need to help others. In 2006, I went back to college which led to me completing a joint honours Degree in Criminal and Community Justice and Youth Justice in the University of South Wales which I graduated in 2011. In September 2011, I went to work in the University as a Support Worker for disabled Students and following this, in 2012, I went to work for Newport City Council as an Economic Inactivity Worker, helping long-term unemployed back into work.

I started volunteering for Newport Night Shelter in the winter of 2012/13 and it hit me that I took basic necessities for granted. It was through working at the Night Shelter, I had the opportunity to see Jesus in action through the other Night Shelter volunteers, and as a result I accepted Jesus into my life and was baptised on my birthday, 23^rd June 2013. In November 2013 I took on the role of Night Shelter Coordinator for my Church Bethel Community Church and I also covered as a relief coordinator, going into other Churches and helping them in the smooth running of their projects.

In October 2015 Stuart Johnson, the founder of Eden gate asked me to apply for one of the Night Shelter Coordinator roles and after careful consideration, I decided I could not commit to the project full time and I took the role of Assistant Night Shelter Coordinator. Since November 2015, during the winter months, I work 7 days a week, and look after the Night Shelter over the weekend, giving Marc some well-deserved time off.  When I work at the Night Shelter, the guests become my second family, I love them all unconditionally and I worry about them when one of them doesn’t turn up for the Night Shelter. I believe that you never look down on anyone, unless you are giving them a hand up, and to be a part of an organisation that is a turning point in the lives of those who find themselves homeless and having the opportunity to shine a light on those people who are in the dark is very rewarding for me.