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”It was the most daunting moment of my life, going in that door for the first time.”
Brendan was sleeping rough after struggling with divorce, debt, and addiction when he came to The Archer Project in 2022. “It was a very dark period of my life. When I came to The Project I never made eye contact with anybody, I used to be in and out, have my breakfast, lunch, have a shower, change clothes. I engaged with Lucy, that was the first person. I managed to get temporary accommodation quite early on, I was one of the lucky ones. I decided to stay longer. I volunteered to give some respect to others and challenge my day more, starting in the donations store, then getting trained up in the laundry, and I'm still here now, still enjoying it. I love coming to The Project.”
Brendan has made huge strides in a short time, first as a volunteer, then through paid employment at Archer Project Enterprises. “It’s saved my life but it’s also rebuilding my life with the paid work cleaning and at Printed by Us. I’d never done face-to-face sales before, it was a massive transition… but getting that first sale’s lovely. I’m slowly building confidence and relationships. I spoke at The Project’s last exhibition in front of a hundred-odd people. I’ve done a Level 1 Peer Mentoring course and signed up for Level 2 this year. I want to further my education in that industry, I'm really passionate about helping other people.”
In 2023, Brendan set his mind to taking on Sheffield’s Half Marathon. “Doing the Half was mainly a massive thank you to The Project for what they’ve done. I thought it’d be fantastic to raise £200 but to have reached over £500 – I'd never thought that would be achievable for me. It was a privilege to do it, for me, which is why I've signed up this year again.”
Brendan is looking forward to the event’s supportive atmosphere. “The crowd on the day are so welcoming. Kids give you sweets, people cheering you on, seeing my mates and colleagues at the end… it was just a pleasure. What kept me going through the race was people that sponsored me – I never thought I'd see that many people wanting to watch me cross a finish line.”
“Last year I walked it in 3 hours 20, now I want to push myself a bit further and finish in 3 hours. But I’m not on my own this time, it’ll be nice to do it in a group and spur each other on.” We're really excited to see Brendan take on the Sheffield Half Marathon again this year as part of Team Archer. “Not as excited as I’ll be when I finish it!”
Please donate and share to support Brendan and Jeff's fundraising at www.justgiving.com/page/brendanjeffhalf
There's still time to join Team Archer for the Sheffield Half Marathon! Please contact Lucy at: lucy.wilks@archerproject.org.uk
