In October this year Wayne Haycock and I (Revd. Darren Howie) are doing a tandem skydive to raise funds for St. Peter's in the City, Inside Out mentoring project, although it's a lot more than a just a project - more of a mentoring community.

Both Wayne and I are reformed drug addicts and ex-offenders, and so this type of work is close to our hearts. Mentoring and being in a community has had a profound impact on both of our transformations towards wholeness of life. It has enabled us to completely rebuild our lives, restore broken family relationships, and contribute more fully and productively to society. Please help us raise funds for this vital work in Derby. We believe that with the right support and opportunities people cut from similar cloth to us can lift themselves out of their situations. The potential is there to be unlocked.

For years Wayne and I were in complete free-fall into the darkening world of crime, violence, and substance abuse. We were, in effect, fallen and falling even deeper - fallen without any rewards but the misery that follows such life-choices. Now we're taking a different kind of jump, a leap in freedom into freedom, and now through this charity skydive, a leap and descend for freedom sake. And we'll be plummeting with a much better prize as a reward: hopefully £5000 for this inspirational work. The Inside Out Community supports people reintegrating back into the community who are fully committed to overcoming past addictions and offending behaviour.

Based at St. Peter’s in the City, Derby, we connect men and women with a one to one mentor, help them access a variety of meaningful activities and provide a volunteer work placement. It also involves participating in an 8 week enrichment workshop run by Derby Management School and St. Peter’s in the City, which engages with topics such as confidence building, values, identity, and emotional resilience.

Our mentors support participants with accommodation needs, help them access and prepare for education, maximise learning from volunteer work placements and seek and sustain employment. Our aim is to empower participants to make healthier life choices, develop self-worth, find purpose and meaning, unlock their inner potential, reintegrate and contribute more productively to society.