Farewell, Good Luck, and a Big Thank You For Over 10 Years of Service at Active Plus!
Whilst, at Active Plus, we pride ourselves on our strong, united team, we are always eager to support employees as they grow in confidence and look towards new adventures. That said, of course, it is often a bittersweet moment when a loyal, longstanding employee makes the decision to move on to a new chapter. Whilst we are sad to lose part of the Active Plus family, we are never gatekeepers and see ourselves as a springboard to broader horizons and optimal potential!
Let us introduce you to Dave Street, one of our longest standing Lead Instructors, having been associated with Active Plus for over ten years!
After serving in the Royal Navy for 18 years as a Gunner, Dave was medically retired due to serious knee, hip and back injuries. He was based in Plymouth for the whole of his career and served on both Type 22 and Type 23 Frigates. Dave was also lucky enough to travel around the world on HMS Cornwall on NTG 2000, and spent 4 years at HMS Raleigh as a Gunnery Instructor teaching Phase One recruits how to fire weapons – gaining a teaching qualification along the way.
Having been a very sporty person throughout, representing the Royal Navy for Football and Athletics, Dave was devastated when, in June 2014, he was told the news that his 18-year naval career had come to an end due to injuries sustained in service. Dave recounts,
“For the first time in my life I was unemployed and felt lost not knowing what to do, where to go or who to speak to.”
It was during his resettlement that Help for Heroes assigned Dave with a Welfare Officer who, recognising and impressed by his teaching skills, recommended Dave to Active Plus, knowing he could, with support and guidance, be a great fit as a course instructor. Active Plus founder, Tim Cocks himself, called Dave and invited him to meet the delivery team so he could see what the company was all about.
“I was very nervous my anxiety levels hit a high and I just froze at the door, not wanting to go in. There was a room of about 18 people and total strangers to me. I was welcomed by one of the instructors at the time and they were expecting me.”
With initial fears allayed, Dave decided to participate in the six-week course which he now recalls as
“…the best decision on my life as it would be the start of a nine-year career doing something I thoroughly enjoyed!”
Upon completing the course, Dave was invited to become a volunteer instructor and, before long, with ongoing support and encouragement, was officially employed as an Active Plus Instructor. As he built confidence within the role, Dave gained momentum, soon progressing to become a successful Lead Instructor in Plymouth and later across all of Devon and Cornwall, helping deliver Confidence and Motivation courses on several Grant Funded projects, as well as courses within a Business-to-Business setting. He has delivered courses to a wide demographic, from teenagers, long term unemployed, all the way through to WW2 veterans, with the oldest been 105!
Dave is the perfect example of the Active Plus ethos, ‘Helping Ourselves by Helping Others’ in action! He has taken a negative situation and flipped it to become an opportunity to use and hone existing skills whilst building on them further – naturally increasing in confidence.
“This role has helped me improve my confidence, self-esteem, have a purpose again and most of all, I was helping other people in the community with their own journeys…
It has been so rewarding to be in this role and the Active Plus family supported me throughout… This role has helped me take the next step.”
It is this confidence that has empowered Dave to move on to a new role as Customer Service Advisor for Seetec Group’s Devon Team where he will, once again, be able to pursue his passion of helping others!
“I am excited and looking forward to it! I have been so lucky for this opportunity in my career at Active Plus and very grateful for Tim, Danny, Laura and Board of Directors for putting their trust in me to deliver and I hope I have been a good employee!”
It has been a privilege to have Dave as a part of the Active Plus team, he has inspired countless others to see “the bigger picture” with hope. We wish Dave all the success and happiness he deserves for the future.
Blog Post: Suzanne Body, Active Plus