Marc Walsh originally joined Active Plus in 2019 as a Veteran Specialist Change Coach. Prior to joining Active Plus Marc had struggled to maintain constant employment, not through anything other than job role happiness.
“I had been used to team work, travel, adventure and excitement. I had achieved a Masters degree in Military Veteran and families welfare, been volunteering for a couple military charities but struggling to gain employment in the Armed Forces welfare sector due to lack of experience.”
Marc put his skills and experience into practice as he worked on a one to one basis with Veterans who were looking to return to employment, or enter in education and training. This project which was funded though the National Lottery Community Fund and European Social Fund gave Marc the opportunity to showcase his abilities in the Armed Forces welfare sector. When the opportunity arose 12 months later for Marc to move roles within the company he embraced the change, joining a national demonstrator project for the Armed Forces Community, Marc took on the role of Armed Forces Community Social Prescribing Link Worker. This Specialist service to was introduced to help address a range of health needs and inequalities experienced by the Armed Forces Community. Marc is proud of his achievements through the demonstrator and proudly explains that it “gained an award in its second year for ‘Working together differently’ at the Southwest Integrated Personalised Care Awards (SWIPC) 2023.”
Armed Forces Community Social Prescribing continues to be a service that is in high demand locally and the positive results highlighted through the demonstrator led to Cornwall Council funding the service for a further 3 years.
Of his time at with the company Marc said “My time with Active Plus has been great. Working alongside other Veterans was a huge bonus as it made the work environment a safer space to be myself, alongside the military banter of course. I would recommend working or volunteering with Active Plus but especially to veterans, as it can be a kind of halfway house to full civilian employment, as you are still among likeminded people (Veterans).”
Marc has used his time at Active Plus to rebuild his self belief, hone his skills and learn more about the Armed Forces Welfare sector. Moving on to a role as a Social Care Practitioner, Marc has demonstrated that hard work, determination and peer to peer support can lead to positive change.
