AN Oldham woman who felt she had "no purpose in life" says she has never looked back after turning to a new way of thinking to tackle mental health.

Amy Wilcox Jones, aged 25, is one of a growing number of 'graduates' to emerge from Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust's Health and Wellbeing College in Ashton.

Open to people aged over 18 who live in Oldham, Tameside, Rochdale, Bury, Glossop and Stockport, it has had great success in equipping students with the skills and knowledge to take control of their mental health recovery, along with vital opportunities to connect with others.

They have so far supported 1,214 students.

In fact Amy's experience has been so inspiring and empowering she's now helping others experiencing the same pain and is planning to embark on a life-changing career in mental health.

“I felt I had no purpose in life and ruled out many goals simply because I thought I’d never be able to achieve them," said former student Amy, who is now a peer trainer at the college.

“The first day I came to the college I was so anxious. I was quickly put at ease when I was welcomed by a friendly face.

“One of the lovely peer trainers gave me so much hope that I could do the things I wanted to in life; she truly inspired me.

“We benefitted from textbook facts and lived personal experiences to relate to. That was so helpful and calming to me and many other students.

“Since that first day I haven’t looked back.

"I said goodbye to my mental health team, who I miss dearly as they got me through some of my toughest times, but it is a massive achievement. Those dreams that I ruled out last year are now a reality.

“I’ve recently moved on from the college to gain some experience in hospital-based mental health services. My goal is to go to university next year and train to become an occupational therapist, working within mental health services."

The Health and Wellbeing College offers a range of educational mental health recovery courses, including ‘Out of the Blues’ - coping with low mood - ‘Cool It’ - managing anger - and many more.

There are currently six volunteers and 16 former students have been offered paid employment as a part-time peer trainer.

You can find about the college, including how to enrol, at www.hwcollege.penninecare.nhs.uk.