"Hi, I'm Ben Franklin. Centre Manager at The AoC Trust in Dudley." "My journey with The AoC started around seven years ago now, where I started volunteering as an administrative assistant after completing a level 3 distinction in business studies at college. "I volunteered for around 6 months before becoming a part-time member of staff. My [...]
Child in the crossfire You are either reading this as a parent or teacher concerned for a child caught up in conflict, or you’re a child wondering why it’s all happening to you. Getting caught in the crossfire of something that isn’t to do with you is horrible. No matter the reason, it’s awful. If [...]
1 in 7 has a phobia Whether it’s spiders that make you squeal or a debilitating fear of a situation – phobias are felt by 1 in 7 of us or almost 10 million people in the UK, according to the NHS. And phobias can be annoying or life-changing, with complete avoidance of an object, [...]
Spotlight on Aaron “Hi, I’m Aaron. I started my placement with the AoC Trust in Dudley within the admin department in December 2019, but I’m now a qualified therapist. Before I started at the AoC, I wanted to be a plumber, as in my mind, this job meant that I could be handy, and it wouldn’t [...]
School-related stress What is it about school that means some students appear to glide through the experience and others dread the morning alarm? The answer is that none of us glide. As many things are, it is an illusion that makes us all feel like we’re the only ones struggling. School is a constant effort [...]
4 Tips To Cut The Cost Of Living Walk around Aldi, and you’ll hear at least two people talking about how they can’t afford to heat their house or buy food. But the cost of living crisis has as much of an impact on our wallets as it does on our minds. At the AoC, we’ve [...]
"I am a trainee counsellor in the process of completing my 100 placement hours; my course was based in Lincoln, so I’ve completed the majority of my hours with an NHS service there, and I’m still travelling up once a week to see clients, so the early mornings are hard! "I’ve just begun my work [...]
Once upon a time There was a young women called Rosie who lived in a cottage with her pet piglet called Presley. Rosie loves to dance and twirling around in her room listening to music and making art, while Presley would sit in his bed of hay asleep or watching Rose twirling. Her love for art, [...]
