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‘I needed to get out of the house and meet other people. I’d only been involved with Military life previously and that was all I knew. I moved to Blackpool and have had to start my life again – this has meant making new links in education, volunteering etc. It’s really been worth it.’

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‘It’s built my confidence and got me doing more things. I’ve met loads of new people who are like me and in a similar situation to myself.’

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‘I volunteer more for myself and to gain experience of being involved in my community. Before I started volunteering, I had nothing, I had just been on the dole since I left school.’

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‘I have made new connections in the Grange Family Hub and at the Volunteer Academy and I think I will continue to do so now that I have done the Learn 2 Feed Course and can get out in the community.’

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‘I have undergone a steep learning curve and learned so many new things – I didn’t realise before the true extent of deprivation and its effects in Blackpool. The Learning to Feed course also taught me statistics that shocked me.'

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‘Volunteering has helped me to meet new people and help other people effectively. It has helped me to learn new skills.’