Testimonials

I looked forward to your phone calls, even though sometimes I would forget you were calling, and it was nice knowing someone was there to talk to. You were very kind and understanding. Always searching for options which was really good and helpful. Extremely kind and your attitude towards me was great. Some people treat you like dirt or like a child and I’ve had some horrible experiences in the past. Knowing you were going to call and doing things for me was beneficial and made the experience stress free for me. It took away some of my anxiety because I knew you were understanding and it made all the difference. Being treated like a human being and that in itself was brilliant.

Pentreath are an amazing charity. I have been lucky enough to use their services twice now and both times it has meant I have had access to one to one support for 6 sessions. This is invaluable to me as it gives me a "guilt free" way to off load the stresses and strains that come alongside living with Bi Polar and Anxiety Disorder. Pentreath also helped me access a fund that has begun to and will continue to change my life! A membership to a mentorship and communitiy that will help me with my small handmade business and in doing so, massively reduce my stress levels by feeling supported and less alone. I am so grateful to Pentreath. Thank you very much for all that you do. Another focus of our sessions was healthy lifestyle. One of my actions was to write a sugar diary and I have worked out how much sugar I should be eating each day which has helped me to be aware of eating healthier. I have also started drinking more water and have been walking more. This week I also went on the bus completely on my own for the first time which made me feel a lot more confident. Having these sessions has helped build my confidence.

Extremely kind and understanding support
worker, who has given me new ideas on ways to improve my routines and get out more. I have found it very beneficial and have looked forward to our appointments.

I am very happy I have had a chance to work with Pentreath. It helped me to build the confidence at maths. It also gave me a guidance and helped massively around benefits and debts. Pentreath has provided me with a safe, kind and welcome environment to talk, share my worries and achievements. I love to work with Pentreath. A huge THANK YOU to all the staff at Pentreath!

I have had a great experience working with Multiply. It has helped me with my Anxiety and going out. As well as making me more aware of my finances and how to manage them a bit better.

The training was relevant, helpful and very well delivered. I genuinely feel like I have developed new skills as a result of the training and new friends as well. The facilitator was really skilled at creating a safe atmosphere and encouraging our group to bond with each other. THANK YOU !!!

The Health and Well-being project really helped me at a time when I found myself stuck after a series of challenging life events. Adopting a flexible, creative approach [my advisor] helped me tap back into my own creativity by meeting with me at local Arts venues. With patience and kindness over a period of weeks she helped me move forward using a practical approach. It surprised me effective the process was. And I’m immensely grateful to be feeling optimistic and having forward momentum in my life once more.

The support I've received has been fantastic. I was contacted very promptly, offered personalised help and signposted to a range of options, helping with both my immediate concern and more generally with wider wellbeing support. My social prescriber has been excellent: caring, thorough and creative in her thinking. I am very grateful.

We worked on building self-confidence which helped a lot towards my plans, and I have now done a bit of voluntary work which has boosted my self-esteem. I am now looking forward to working again. Eric has helped me know how to control my mental health. I am also more confident in talking to people. I feel more motivated to do things and in setting myself goals.

Pentreath has really helped me gain some confidence to get out of the house and get me back into college to help me follow my dreams. My support worker has been amazing. Thank you.

I would just like to write a few words about Pentreath and how they have helped my very difficult circumstances with my mental health and the difficult task with my housing situation with Cornwall Council. This has made a better outlook for the future. They have been a massive safety net knowing that they are there when I need them. Excellent staff who understands the needs of people like myself. I would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone in the same situation.

I really have enjoyed the support my advisor has given me, every time I come out of the meetings I have seen changes in my mood and have felt really good. Other people in my life have noticed this too like my mum. I really enjoyed doing the my mind star because this helped me see how far I have come since starting this support.

When I first started with Pentreath I had very low self-esteem, low confidence and mood. Being employed was the last thing I wanted as I had no energy or motivation. Along my journey I have been fortunate enough to have help and support with all these areas. I was struggling building my confidence and dealing with anxiety has been a massive hurdle. Having the support network has been invaluable to me. It has enabled me to be more positive and motivated about myself, my employability and wanting to go back to work. Mt mental health, physical health and all-round well-being have completely flipped for the better. I know I still have a way to go but I feel fortunate to finally have the support I desperately needed. I am very thankful.

When Pentreath was offered to me last year it came at a time when I had lost my way a bit. I was full of self-doubt, exhaustion and the future looked bleak. Ten years of working in a tough industry suddenly ended when an accident at work caused a cracked rib. For weeks even moving for a small bit was painful, there was no going back and the way forward looked impossible. There was no way that I could do this alone and the decision to reach out for and then accept whatever help there was was the best one that I had made in years and years. I had some mental health problems coupled with all of the shame and vulnerability that go hand in hand with that admission was a huge leap of faith. Pentreath understood but how on Earth did they know? They never judged or belittled… What they actually did was to share their kind and caring knowledge and experience. They listened and understood. Over the ensuing months, I was given two mentors who were always there if needed. Gradually, with their help, I learned new and better (kinder) ways of dealing with stress, anxiety and depression. Good solid, tried, tested and trusted ways. Gradually I made changes – positive ones, – and released some really bad patterns of self-sabotage. I met other people in a similar situation and went into the Who Dares Works course (amazing – everyone could benefit from this!) There was also a course at “Outset” to grow my business. I even got help with c.v. building and for the first time I realised that a c.v. could be a ‘mission statement’ – a celebration of a life lived. Thank you all – you wonderful people – for your great help!

I was in a very dark place due to job loss, a bad relationship breakup with the mother of our kids, self-hating, social anxiety, feeling worthless to everyone including my kids, lost what little confidence I had etc etc. I was metaphorically looking over the edge of a bridge. I have suffered with depression half my life and only been this bad once, knew deep down this wasn’t a good place to be and I need guidance out of this dark place. My work coach and a friend both mentioned Pentreath to me so I decided to contact them.
Mac was my mentor from Pentreath and he made sure I was comfortable with my surrounding I had chosen to meet for the first time. Mac asked questions, intently listened to my situation took down notes. I had unmet career goal of certification to boost my employment opportunities that I mentioned to Mac and he got right into looking into how Pentreath could help.
I had a golden opportunity of time to study as I had lost my job but didn’t have the funds to go forward with certification. Mac and the team at Pentheath did a fantastic job at securing funding for me to buy study material required and book the exam, this gave me purpose and focus without the extra burden and worry of the financial cost. I was able to able to study unhindered by financial pressure niggling in the background. Mac pointed me to other organization that can help with career, CV and interview skills and set regular tailored goals and objectives beneficial to my overall mental wellbeing.
With Pentreath’s support I quickly pulled myself out of the dark place I had found myself, I’d found the mental strength and motivation to study every day and I passed the exam first time. Without this kind of muti area support offered by Pentreath I wouldn’t of be able to come out of the dark place and to the point I am now within 6 months, I might even have gone deeper.
I can’t thank Mac and Pentreath enough for their help and support. I look back at where I was to where I am now, and the difference is night and day. It brings me immense happiness and gratitude to know organisations like Pentreath and people like Mac exist to help others out of dark places.
My future NOW looks positive
Massive thank you to Mac & the Pentreath team!!

11th August 2022

I have struggled with my mental health pretty much as long as I can remember. It came to a head in my late teens/early twenties, and I found it harder and harder to engage with life in a way I found meaningful. The idea of recovery, of getting a job, and of being "on my own" with it absolutely terrified me. The last time I had a job prior to working with Pentreath was in 2017 or so - I worked a week at a shop and had a mental breakdown. I had a loving family and friends, but it felt like they didn't really know how to help - I can't blame them! I didn't know how to help myself. Instead, I remained on ESA for years. I never went anywhere, I never did anything.
After I'd stabilised, I was referred to Pentreath. At first I saw someone who helped me move towards volunteering, and after a while I started to work with Nigel.
From the start, Nigel was supportive and understanding in a relaxed way. He gave me goals, but never pushed me or made me feel anxious. He kept me moving towards targets without making me feel like I needed to do everything all at once. At the time I hoped to work as a trainee curator in a museum, so he helped me look over my applications and was very enthusiastic about how hard I worked even when I didn't get the jobs. When I came across a Peer Support Worker role for a mental health team, Nigel kept me on track and arranged a mock interview for me. It was really helpful, and it enabled me to feel relaxed and confident for the real thing.
I'm most grateful for Pentreath’s help in dealing with the confusing and stressful application process after I'd been given a conditional offer of employment. Nigel really fought hard for me and worked alongside the team to support me as best as they could. He helped me apply for a passport to get a DBS check, and dealt with some difficulty with referrals as well as giving me moral support. I really can't thank him or the team at Pentreath enough, as am incredibly grateful for their help. I love my new job and wouldn't have it without them.

4th August 2022