My confidence grew and I was excited to try new things (Picture: Adele Newell)

Standing at the peak of the Cat’s Back hill in Hereford, I felt on top of the world.

I was 13, and this was the first time I’d ever been on a hike.

The view was astonishing, I could see hills, valleys, rivers and fields for miles and the houses below me looked like tiny toys.

It had taken three hours for me to get up here and I’d repeatedly told my group there was no way I’d ever get to the top. I didn’t even want to try.

But with lots of support and encouragement I made it, and for the first time in as long as I could remember, I felt proud of myself.

That was the moment everything shifted. In that instant, I knew that my life was going to get a lot better.

I grew up in a busy household as one of six siblings. We’d been through a lot of upheaval as a family, and I found it difficult to talk about how I was feeling or what was going on in my life.

By the time I left primary school I was used to doing my own thing and making my own decisions about how I spent my time.

My attendance was patchy at best, and when I did turn up I’d arrive up to three hours late. Academically, I struggled and found it hard to sit still in class too.

Teachers labelled me a ‘naughty kid’ and I figured, if they thought that about me, I might as well live up to it. So I constantly disrupted lessons, would be sent out and received detentions.

Then one day, aged 13, during yet another detention, one of the few teachers I trusted came in to talk to me – I honestly thought I was about to be excluded.

I’d repeatedly told my group there was no way I’d ever get to the top (Picture: Adele Newell)

Instead, she said I’d been picked, along with 11 other students who were finding school difficult, to go on a five day residential trip to Jamie’s Farm in Hereford.

She explained that Jamie’s Farm is a charity that helps young people who are struggling to thrive in education by sending them to experience life there.

She said I’d be responsible for jobs around the farm and that I’d get some space to talk things through, think and reset in the countryside.

Straight away I said no.

I hated the thought of anyone telling me what to do or where to go. Plus, I’d never been that far away from home.

But my teachers were adamant it’d be good for me. So, after several weeks of persuasion, I begrudgingly agreed.

When we arrived on the farm my first impressions were not great.

It smelled strange. It was cold and muddy. And we were in the middle of nowhere. I desperately wanted to go home so, naturally, I began behaving badly.

I wandered off when I wasn’t supposed to. I’d talk over the others whenever they tried to introduce themselves or ask questions. And I swore. A lot.

But instead of punishing me for my behaviour, the farm staff spoke to me about how I was feeling and if I disrupted a session they’d gently take me to one side to have a chat.

For the first time in my life, I felt listened to and understood.

Gradually, I let down my guard, even found myself enjoying the jobs of chopping wood, looking after animals or cooking meals for everyone else.

Probably the weirdest thing for me though was that, at every meal time we would sit together and share our feelings and praise someone who had made a positive impact on our day.

I wasn’t used to this. My teachers had no reason to praise me, and at home we mostly communicated by laughing and taking the mickey out of each other. So when others told me they were grateful that I’d helped them on the farm, it was all new.

But it felt good, and motivated me to do more.

On the third day of our stay came the hike. It was a four-mile walk climbing up to an elevation of 800ft, and it was the biggest challenge so far.

Reaching the top was something I’d never thought I could achieve. But I’d done it. Red cheeks and all, I’d done it. And in that moment my whole perspective on life changed.

My confidence grew and I was excited to try new things – a good thing too as, just one day later, I helped the farmer deliver a lamb.

By the time we left on day five I felt like a whole new person (Picture: Adele Newell)

It was a messy job but I felt such a buzz afterwards as I watched the baby snuggle up to its mother. I’d done something helpful and worthwhile, but also unknown and out of my comfort zone.

By the time we left on day five I felt like a whole new person, and that newly discovered sense of self-belief and confidence came back with me to school.

My attendance improved dramatically and in lessons, rather than acting out whenever I felt unsure, now I could reassure myself that I didn’t need to panic.

I even took my GCSEs and passed five, something I never believed would happen as I was sure I’d be excluded before I got that far.

Life at home improved too. I tried to help out a lot more, and I made a big effort to change my attitude towards family members who only wanted to help me.

Then, when I finished school, I completed an apprenticeship with Jamie’s Farm in outdoor learning. I attended agricultural college and worked on the farm with young people who were in similar situations and feeling similar emotions to the ones I’d experienced when I first visited.

My love of farming and the countryside only intensified and before long I became an ambassador for the charity. I visited all their sites around the country and I still attend fundraising events and talks to share my story today.

Until my stay on the farm, until that hike, I never thought I would be able to hold down a job or have a successful and fulfilling life.

Now, at 21, I work as a support worker with vulnerable adults and one day hope to run a small farm myself, to help young people from similar situations to mine.

I would love to be able to give them the opportunity to grow and flourish, just like I did, because those five days showed me that I could achieve hard things, that I was worthy of praise and that there were people who believed in me.

And that’s all it took to change my life.

For more information see jamiesfarm.org.uk

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I constantly disrupted lessons, would be sent out and received detentions.