06 March 2024
TURNING Lives Around has welcomed a new trustee to its Board who knows better than most what it takes to turn their life around.
A young teen growing up in the Scottish Highlands, Gary Gallacher fell in with the wrong crowd. Combined with problems at home and mental health issues he was fully dependent on alcohol and drugs by the age of 15. At 16, he dropped out of education and was homeless.
Living in a B&B for the homeless, he was put in touch with addiction support services with added support from a charity around life skills. His situation reached an all-time low when he tried to take his own life but lying in a hospital bed with a broken hip and pelvis, he began to question what he was doing with his life.
“I thought ‘how do I get out of this mess?’ I looked on social media; old school friends were at university, doing well for themselves, and I began to regret dropping out of education,” recalled Gary.
Turning point
That was to be the turning point. Gary began to engage a lot more with the addiction support workers and was the youngest person in the country to go to rehab.
His journey to recovery wasn’t all plain sailing. He was equipped with tools to help him have a different outlook on life but, still living in the same environment alongside people who’d lived there for years with hardened addictions, he found it hard.
Perseverance eventually won. He enrolled in college to do HNC Accounting, then at 21, went on to university in Edinburgh from where he graduated with First Class Honours in Maths with Actuarial Science plus a master’s in actuarial management. In October ’21 he relocated to Leeds, his dad’s hometown, to work as an Actuary for a firm of investment consultants.
Voluntary work
“I did a lot of voluntary work at university for which I received awards and these mean more to me than anything else I’ve achieved,” commented Gary.
“I would not be where I am today if it were not for the charities which helped me. I had no knowledge of how to cook, clean, look after myself, manage money… nothing… when I ended up in homeless accommodation. I was also constantly at the GP for medical issues from my addiction. I have had a lot of time and resource invested in me by society and feel indebted. It feels good to be able to give back.”
Having recently finished his professional exams and with more time available Gary is pleased to return to volunteering and to become a trustee for Turning Lives Around.
He explained: “With lived experience which many trustees may not have, and having used the type of services that TLA delivers, I feel I have a deeper connection and better understanding of what’s important to our clients. I also bring my finance skills and knowledge plus drive and determination.”
Highly impressed
Gary and fellow trustees Stephanie Nyirenda and Sean Heffernan recently spent a day visiting TLA’s services including Our Way Leeds (OWL) emergency accommodation for 16-25-year-olds, Grace Lodge which provides accommodation and support 24/7 for homeless men with multiple disadvantages and Sustain Wakefield, working to prevent homelessness. He was highly impressed with what he saw, and the level of knowledge displayed by their tour guides.
“I was in the age category covered by OWL emergency accommodation when I was going through my own difficulties and to have had that integrated accommodation and support with people on site to help all the time would have done me so much good,” he commented.
“I learned so much on that day visiting the services. The whole day was a wonderful experience and a very good introduction for me. It’s given me a real drive to want to help the organisation and it’s very humbling to now be in a position where I can help and give back.”