'Never Give Up' James Rose's amazing Big Local journey

By Serena Lola

This is the journey of someone who is resilient and determined to never give up on his dream to do something great. James Rose, 15 yrs old, serves as a real example of how anything is possible regardless of your situation or who you are. We hope that his journey and experience can inspire you and others to keep fighting life’s difficulties and use all that energy to make a difference to the world we live in.

James Rose's Big Local Journey 

​Before joining Heston West Big Local (referred by our local MP Seema Malhotra), James has had a tough time in dealing with: bullying, anxiety and depression something that is starting to become very prominent in society today and needs action to help combat it. His constant battle with mental health meant he lost all confidence in himself as well as his identity. To this day he still struggles with mental health but has been able to improve and find himself again through volunteering. 

​However, his journey into Heston West Big Local was not straightforward, at first he was reluctant and scared of getting worse due to past experiences with people. 

​When he finally began, he started at the debate nights due to his love of politics and at first was quite shy in expressing opinions and being confident in public speaking. Over time his confidence and character began to build up again and make him the happier and healthier person he is now. In his words “Heston West Big Local was behind my back”

​Since then he has gone on to do some amazing things such as doing projects at Parliament, helping at Community Clean Up Days and other Big Local events, he’s even beginning to develop his own mental health support programme to help others with similar experiences to him reach their full potential. His hard work and dedication not only to the community but himself has allowed him to grow as a person despite the barriers and achieve some fantastic things at only 15 years old. 

​If you have had a similar experience to James and feel inspired to keep fighting on contact someone who you trust, services such as Childline (0800 1111) or your own local community group and aspire to do something great.  

Get involved with our Big Local Youth Volunteering programme by clicking here.