At 21 years of age, I had multiple petty convictions, had been homeless for almost the entirety of my teens, was a heavy drug user and didn't have a qualification to my name having been permanently excluded from school. However after a few prominent life experiences and changes to my life, I got fit and eventually joined the armed forces, serving 13 years in the royal navy and winning 3 captain's awards. It was fitness and structure that changed my life and that's what hoodex plans to implement using methods I trialed in a previous role and that worked. 

I'm doing it with a friend called Katie who I met in 1999 whilst volunteering in Africa through probation, where she was on her gap year before attending Oxford University and in a twist of fate settling in the North East. We've remained friends since. 

Between the two of us and with 3 sterling trustees in the background I believe we can create a template for how a community led business can improve the well-being of areas by creating a visible conveyor belt of success that's open to people looking to help themselves get on a more positive path.