January can be a difficult month for everyone, with the fun of Christmas over, the dark mornings and a long month until pay day.

In fact today January 18th is often described as the ‘most depressing day of the year’.

But January is also a time when people vow to make positive changes in their lives.

This week we’ll be bringing you some positive stories about people that are making real progress in their lives.

Fiona is supported by Turning Point Scotland Prestwick and is making the most of her independence by volunteering with an after school club at the local community centre. She explains why she is finding it a very rewarding experience:

“There can be up to 60 children who go to the after school club. I also volunteer at the summer school.

When I first started my volunteering job, I was quite nervous and not confident. My colleagues are really nice and very welcoming and helped me settle in and get to know the routines.

When I first started the children asked me about my body and why I needed a wheelchair, I tried to answer their questions the best I could.

The children play different games and I play with them with their toys. They draw pictures and sometimes they give me a picture to take home with me. We sometimes go to the park, when we are walking there, one of the children will walk beside me.

I think that this experience has built my confidence when speaking to the children and I think that the children are more confident with me now. I think that everyone, but especially the children, have learned so much about people with support needs and physical disabilities.

I have progressed in my role as a play leader over the past year, and I now pick up the children at the local primary school and walk them to the community centre. I take my turn at playing games with the children and helping them with their arts and crafts.

Working with children has given me so much self-worth and increased my confidence.

At the beginning I was nervous and wasn’t sure that I would fit in, but this quickly disappeared and I feel confident and at ease in my work place. Even though I have done this for a year I still get excited about going to my work.”