Bob's Story — 11 Sep 2009

Twenty-four year old Bob* was referred to The Annexe Healthy Living Centre by his social worker to improve his grammar. Initially Bob was nervous about how others would perceive his mental health issues, but his Community Learning tutor encouraged and supported him to participate actively in group learning.

After a few weeks Bob became more involved in the group and was keen to produce a story for the Aye Write! Book Festival. Bob's confidence increased and, as he worked on his stories, he spelling and grammar improved. He developed characters, put the story into paragraphs and made his own illustrations.

Bob was delighted when his stories and illustrations were selected to be published for the Aye Write! Learner Publication. He joined a creative writing group with other emergent writers and continued to attend learning at the Annexe. Bob was brimming with confidence and he agreed to read his spooky stories out to an eager crowd at the Aye Write! Book Festival. 

Bob's learning experience was so positive that he enrolled in a Graphics Course at his local college. Bob is now thriving in college and working towards an HND in graphics and design. He continues to use the ALN services on a drop in basis.

*name has been changed.