Meet Rusty

Rusty shares his journey with Rise:61 so far…

So we’ve known you for a few years through playing football, why did you come along?

The activities helped me get out and meet new people but the talking helped more. It made me realise how much damage was being done to me by the drugs and drinking. It motivated me to sort out my life and settle down.

Nobody else was taking the time to chat to us, everyone else would have looked at us and thought we weren’t motivated and a waste of time. You pointed out the potential of what we could be. Before I met you I was trying to impress everyone else, rather than impress myself. Every weekend I kept getting in trouble with the police and I thought this has to stop.


You’ve mentioned to us that you’d like to volunteer in the future? Why do you want to do this?

It will give me something to put on my CV and I want to help people who are in similar situation to how I was.


What would you say to young people in a similar situation to you?

Don’t walk with your head down as you will never see the opportunities in front of your eyes.


What’s your dream?

To be a mechanic on Eddie Stobart rally cars.

Together we can point out the potential in more young people like Rusty.