Ian Henry – Meet the Physical Activity and Wellbeing Team

My name is Ian.  In 2000 I was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was admitted to hospital for six months.

I made a fast recovery and was allocated day release but only for 10-15 minutes at a time as my paranoia commands were very overwhelming but after three/four months I started playing football with people that also had mental health conditions.  I didn’t feel alone with my illness anymore.

As time went by and my recovery was well underway, I started an apprenticeship with the Sports Cadets Team for SWYP Trust. I then went into volunteering playing football with other service users and even went to Europe doing football tournaments with other service users.  I had such a great experience and this really helped get to where I am today – someone who knows how to control my mental health condition.