Introducing Paul

It's great to introduce Paul Creelman: Team Leader of the new North Yorkshire Skill Mill team, based in Scarborough, which just started work last Friday.

In his own words..

'I have worked for the Youth Justice Service as a support worker for the last 8 years since I retired from the North Yorkshire Police.

Prior to that I was Police Officer for 30 years working mainly on CID and Child Abuse.

Prior to that I was a Brick layer/Plasterer working for a local building company in Scarborough.

I am 61 years old, married with grown up children now in their 30s and grandchildren.

In my spare time I am into Martial Arts, visiting the local gym and Gardening. Having just suffered fractured fingers, a black eye and fractured cheek bone I am having a rest from the Judo at the moment... on the instructions of my wife !!! but I will be back on the mat after Xmas.

I work in the Rainbow centre in Scarborough: a centre for homeless people, those troubled with addictions and those needing some extra support in life.

I get immense satisfaction from the work I do there and out on the streets with the Street Homeless.

Myself and my wife are also Foster Carers with the Local Authority and foster teenage lads, last year at one point we had 3 strapping teenagers so life is never dull.

I was due to retire in August this year and do 'what ever retired people do' but anyone who knows me will know I am not quite ready for retirement yet...

When I was approached about the Skill Mill l initially said 'No' as I was told it was full time work and I have too many other commitments, however Steve Walker can be extremely persuasive - and when he asked me to visit the Skill Mill in Newcastle and see how it was run I was impressed.

I got to see the work being done with young people, see how they have a focus to their life which has resulted in full time jobs for some of them and their excitement saying they get paid proper money for doing proper work.

Seeing this was the turning point and if I can do the same for the young people that I have just interviewed for the Scarborough Skill Mill, give them a good work ethic and help them find a job, then this will be the most exciting final phase to a working career for me.

I would love for this to be a success and as a result become self funding and other Skill Mills to roll out across our County.

Having worked with a lot of high need young people from the Scarborough Youth Justice Service and seen a lot of them turn their lives around - it is fantastically rewarding and I believe the reason we at the Youth Justice Team come to work.'

A big welcome to Paul and watch this space for more news from the North Yorkshire team.