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“When I was young, I had a pretty normal upbringing with my sister Tia. Family holidays, presents at Christmas, that sort of thing.
“After 13 years my parents divorced and my mum got together with someone else. He changed my mum’s life and got her addicted to heroin.
“It wasn’t nice seeing my mum on drugs. I had to look after my sister when she was little and I made sure she went to school on time, dressed nice and clean.
“I was only young myself – I think I was about 12 or 13.
“I didn’t get on with my mum’s new boyfriend because he was horrible to my mum.
“As I grew older I decided I couldn’t live there any longer so I moved out and lived with my nana and my dad.
“A couple of years after that I met my partner, the father of my children, who I was with for 13 years. This led me to selling drugs – he showed me how it worked and we ended up doing it together.
“I thought it was a normal lifestyle I was living. The reason why I did this is because I wanted to make a better life for my children. I was sentenced to three years at HMP Styal.
“On day one, I thought to myself: ‘Zoe this is your home for the next 3 years”, so I kept my head down and promised myself I would make the best of my time there.’
“When I was admitted at Styal, I suffered badly from poor mental health, so I started doing art as a peer mentor. It was a good way of helping other people in similar situations.
“The prison asked me if I wanted to move to Bollinwood and start working at The Clink in their restaurant. At first I thought I couldn’t do it, but I remembered my promise to myself and decided to grab the chance with both hands.
“This was the start of my journey with The Clink.
“The Clink gave me the best support and training while I was there. The staff and the chefs were so supportive and genuinely wanted the best for us all.
“I passed my City & Guilds Commis Chef Level 2, along with a barista course and many other qualifications. I had so much great support from Evie and Rachel, who are support workers at The Clink. I still spend time with Evie now I’ve left Styal.
“If it wasn’t for my journey at The Clink, I wouldn’t be where I am now. They offered me the chance to do an apprenticeship. Again, my first thought was that I wouldn’t be able to do it, but I grabbed the chance and, after a year of study, I’m nearly finished.
“They helped me get a job working at a great restaurant called The Coach and Four in Wilmslow, near Styal. I love working there and everyone I work with is very supportive.
“The next step of my journey is to pick up more qualifications, more experience and keep progressing, knowing that I am capable of great things.”
