Paul's story

On screen text: As a teenager, Paul suffered a head injury following a series of racial attacks. A brick to the head left him with epilepsy, mental health and anger issues.

Paul: I was getting into trouble with the police, went to prison. I was in the wrong place, you know, with the wrong people, at a time, you know, I couldn’t really settle down in a good job, but it was a mental thing. So I was going from job to job, unemployment, unemployment. Everything was going up: the the train fares, the rents, council tax.

And I started to fall behind on the rent. Rent arrears started creeping up. I just couldn’t afford to pay the full rent. So threatening letters came from every angle, from the rent, council, tax, phone, people, you name it. I was getting them all at the same time, you know. So at the end of the day, I used to go and stay with my sister for about three weeks as I looked like a skeleton, and you know, I wouldn’t eat no food. I didn’t have nothing.

I saw I got through CAP (Christians Against Poverty). I was just waiting for my doctor for an appointment, and I was looking on the table. They had all these brochures on there. I came across a CAP one on there that said that they help and all that. So I took one of them, I had a read of it. I took the number and I rang up straight away.

They took the rough details down. And the next thing I know, I’m getting a phone call and I had to come down for an interview, you know. And we went down there, took all my paperwork down there, and it just went from there, you know. It happened so quickly. I still don’t believe it. Now I’ve got until the end of March next year, then it will all be over.

I can sleep better now. I no longer have these letters coming through the post anymore. Phone calls, none of this. It doesn’t exist anymore. It’s all clear, crystal clear, man. Yeah. CAP helped me in a lot of ways. Actually changed the person inside, mentally and physically, man. I feel I have a purpose in life again, man, colourful. Just like my work, man, that represents me: colour, man. Yeah, that’s colour, mate, colourful. Before, I was in a dark, black place, a dark hole. I’m no longer there.

John Kirkby came down from Bradford to do a talk and a book signing. And while we were there, there was a chance for myself and other people there to become Christians, but I felt ready at the time to do it.

Yeah, I got invited to a discovery break down in Sussex. There was one person there who just helped me so much, that’s Gwen Parkinson. Yeah, she helped me with my anger, you know. She sat me down and she went through a process of me forgiving people so I can just carry on with my own life, man. And it’s working.
The time I came back to London, I felt like I was a strange person, man. I just felt something in me just lift off my shoulders, man. Sort of like a little relief. I don’t have to go through that anymore. 30 years of it, mate. It’s all clean, makes sense. It’s all clean, man.

Back in 2017 I became debt free through CAP. The burdens were lifted off my shoulders. I felt stress-free and I really feel alive. Since then, I became a volunteer at the food bank, also volunteer as a CAP befriender, also donate money monthly to CAP. Life changer, it’s changed my life, and I hope my donation will change other people’s lives. Just thanks and prayers to you guys and I love you all.