A MUM-OF-THREE who battled mental health issues for several years has chosen Droitwich to host an awareness event to help others in the same situation.
More than 150 mental health professionals will gather for the day at St Andrew’s Hotel, on St Andrew’s Drive.
Marie Jenkins, 42, has organised the day which will include workshops and guest speakers such as John Hotowka and Kelly Marie King who will all be aiming to promote the importance of looking after both your body and your mind.
The event, which will be opened by Mayor Graham Beale, will also be a celebratory day to mark the one year anniversary of Marie’s company.
In the last ten years, Marie has gone through a divorce, became homeless, jobless, lost her mum and suffered from mental health problems.
Out of sheer determination she turned it all around, launched her own company, dropped from a size 22 to a 12 in just seven months and remarried.
It all began when Marie divorced her husband in 2005 and her and her children, then aged ten, seven and two, needed to find a new home.
But when she applied for social housing she was turned down as she was considered intentionally homeless because she had ‘chosen to lose the roof over her head’ through the divorce.
Marie ended up accepting one bad rental agreement after another and in just 12 months was forced to move five times.
In 2006, Marie managed to get a job as a customer service officer in social housing and finally secured a mortgage to buy her own home.
Over the next seven years, Marie climbed a career ladder to become head of community support and care but the pressure of the job started to take its toll on her mental health, making her anxious and stressed.
At the same time, her mum was taken ill and so she decided to leave her job.
The next 12 months were a mix of low mood, depression, obesity, bereavement and finally the realisation of what she wanted from her future.
Marie decided to build on her strengths and set up her own event management company Advance Events, in February 2015. She also started to treat her body and mind with more respect, losing several stone.
Marie also enrolled on a leadership and management course and began studying teaching.
She said: “My children have been my biggest motivation but I wouldn’t have done this on my own.
“I got married again in 2012 to my husband Drew who’s been a true rock of support.
“We are delighted the Mayor of Droitwich Graham Beale is opening the event – we have a brilliant day lined up.”
The event will be held on January 14 – visit www.eventbrite.com for more.
