Future Pathways supported Fiona with her sculpture. Since then, Fiona has created workshops to help others find healing through creativity.
What made you decide to use your own creative talents to support other people?
I had the idea in March 2022 when I was at an all-time low. I wanted to support women who had similar experiences to me. I wanted to help them with the healing process, to go from feeling fragile to feeling stronger.
I was supported by Ewain, my Support Coordinator at Future Pathways. He helped me develop the initial idea. Through funding, I could buy tools and materials to help me set up the workshops. Later, I had a different Support Coordinator called Edith. She supported me through my emotional challenges and setbacks.
What has helped you along the way?
I was supported by MsMissMrs – a social enterprise that supports women. They helped me to set up my social enterprise and register it with Companies House. Through Future Pathways, I was also in touch with Brilliant Leaders. They helped with business strategies and funding applications. And gave me support with Break The Mould, which is still going.
Since then, I was able to get funding from the Start It Award to grow my social enterprise. This helped me to make a bigger impact, support more survivors, and maintain a healing and focused environment for people.
I’ve also received funding from Arnold Clark, which supported me to run evening classes. And I secured a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, Awards For All, for 2 years of funding. This means I can now support 48 women, all in recovery who are ready to start rebuilding their lives.
Can you tell us more about Break The Mould?
Break The Mould is a Glasgow-based social enterprise. It provides therapeutic sculpture workshops for women who have experienced sexual trauma, violence, homelessness and trafficking.
Through creative expression, my organisation offers a safe and supportive space where participants can rebuild their confidence, empower, develop skills, and strengthen their community connections.
How do you think creativity can help people in their recovery journey?
Participants tell us that the workshops can bring profound changes, from renewed self-worth to stronger community connections. By using sculpture making as a powerful tool, I help women process trauma, rebuild trust and overcome feelings of isolation and inequality. The workshops are not only emotional and psychological healing but also opens doors to education, employment and stronger family and community ties.
You have described the sculpture as tapping into fragility and resilience. Can you tell us more about that?
Fragility is sometimes seen as a weakness, but we can explore the beauty in fragility as it invites connection. We soften around fragile things; we protect them. We meet with empathy in that shared vulnerability. Relationships deepen and meaningful relationships grow. Resilience wouldn’t exist without fragility.
Find out more at: www.break-themould.co.uk
Mark is walking the West Highland Way to raise money for charity. Here, we find out more about what made him take this journey.
Making changes
Mark wanted to take a step towards feeling calmer and having more peaceful moments. So, he made two big decisions in his life: to get a dog and to give up alcohol. He now has two dogs, Jasper and Shep, and they are Mark’s trusted companions.
Jasper and Shep have been really important in Mark’s recovery journey. They give him company and they are great at enjoying the simple things in life. Mark feels that the dogs are aware of his mood and respond in positive ways. They know what is needed to be well.
Being in nature
Mark walks every day around the local hills and parks. He does this in all weather and all seasons. Walking in beautiful, quiet places makes a positive difference to Mark. When he is in nature, he leaves his past behind him. The rhythm of walking, physical exercise and time
to himself make Mark feel soothed and calm.
Last year, Mark decided he wanted to take his walking to another level. He wanted to do a long walk, taking several days and include some wild camping. Walking in the most spectacular scenery really appealed to him.
A new journey
Mark decided he would walk the West Highland Way in Spring 2026. This walking trail is 96 miles long and goes from Milngavie to Fort William. On the way are key landmarks like Loch Lomond and Glencoe.
Mark wanted to challenge himself. This big walk will give him a physical challenge. But he also sees it as a chance to work through some of his experiences. Mark will have Jasper and Shep for company, and he knows that if the walk gets challenging, his dogs will be with him by his side.
Mark is looking forward to sitting on the end point bench in Fort William and feeling a real sense of achievement, acceptance and pride.
Raising awareness
Walking the West Highland Way is an important personal journey for Mark. It is part of his own recovery. But he also sees it as a chance to give back. Mark wants to use the walk to raise awareness about the PDSA. The PDSA looks after animals and supports people to take care of their pets too. By supporting the PDSA, Mark can help animals to have a better life.
We are delighted to share Trevor’s new music with you. Listen to six new songs and read about the inspiration behind the music.
What was the inspiration for these songs?
The songs I write reflect my life. They are all part of my journey. I try to be honest and mindful as I know they might find an audience of others who have lived experience. So the idea is to show others that it is possible to help others – by showing that from suffering a positive mindset can arise.
What is your process for making new music? For example, do you write a song in one go or over several days?
I can write songs in a day or they can be ideas that I write then revisit later and try to work them into songs.
What does music mean to you?
For me writing, playing and recording songs is worth the effort and it opens my thinking to looking for good ideas.
What do you hope people might feel when they listen to your music?
I would like the listener to gain something hopeful if they hear the songs. Also, if any are moved to write their own then that is really something.
Carol was supported by the Book Whisperers to publish a poetry book. Here, Carol tells us more about her writing and what it means to her.
Writing has always been quietly woven through my life even before I fully realised it. My first book, Birth of a Poet, is a collection of poetry that reflects emotion, healing and the power of words to comfort and connect. Alongside this I have written a children’s adventure story set in a magical world filled with imagination, friendship and courage. Both books come from the same place: a desire to tell stories that make people feel something, whether that is hope, warmth or a sense of belonging.
I began writing poetry in my thirties starting with a poem called The Owl. After that, life became busy and writing slipped into the background. It was only later, during a particularly stressful period in my life, that I returned to that poem and rewrote it. Something changed then. Once I started writing again, I found I could not stop. The words flowed naturally, almost as if they had been waiting patiently to be let out. Poetry became a release, a way to process thoughts and feelings that were otherwise difficult to express.
As my writing grew, so did my confidence. Future Pathways took me under their wing and helped me find the right people to support me on my journey. With encouragement and guidance, what began as scattered poems slowly turned into a collection. After around two years, I realised I had enough work to create a book. Looking back, I can see that even when I was young, I felt words could be powerful and help people feel less alone. For a long time though I lacked the confidence to believe I could truly do something with that gift.
Writing has become a form of therapy for me. When I am writing, I feel calm, focused and completely present. The world fades away and everything feels lighter. There is also a deep sense of achievement in seeing words take shape on the page, especially knowing they may help someone else in ways I may never fully understand.
Birth of a Poet became even more meaningful to me after my husband passed away two years ago. We often spoke about me finishing the book and dedicating it to him felt natural and right. It is a tribute to his belief in me and to the encouragement he always gave. Writing helped me through that loss, giving me a place to pour my grief, love and memories.
I have now published my first poetry book and am about to release my children’s book which is complete and just needs its final touches. I have already begun writing the second adventure and am also looking forward to creating more poetry in the future. If it were not for the doors opened by Future Pathways, many of these words might have remained unwritten. Instead, they are now out in the world where they belong. I hope my writing continues to reach hearts, inspire courage, and remind others that their own voices matter too in quiet ways.
Find out more
You can buy Carol’s book on Amazon.
The Book Whisperers
Carol was supported by the Book Whisperers. The Book Whisperers are one of our Delivery Partners. They help people write books. Below, you can find read interviews with The Book Whisperers and our other Delivery Partners.
In 2025, Don published a book called The Unwanted Gift. He tells us about writing his book, sharing his journey and the difference this has made.
What’s your book about?
The book is about the journey of my life. When I was two, my parents died and I was put into care. The woman in the care home was very abusive towards me.
Later on in my life, I found out I had been living with mental health problems. This was because I had never dealt with that had happened to me as a child.
But I went on to become a breakdancing champion and a martial arts instructor. So, the book is really about how your past doesn’t have to destroy your future. Your past can be powerful and it can help create your future. That’s why I called the book The Unwanted Gift.
What made you decide to write the book?
It started when I turned 42. I had achieved amazing things, but my mental health was really bad at this point. I had anxiety, low self-esteem, and my behaviour was self-destructive. My sister told me about Future Pathways. From there, my Support Coordinator encouraged me to write. She gave me the guidance and the support to start that journey.
The Book Whisperers helped you with the book. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
My Support Coordinator put me in touch with the Book Whisperers. My first meeting was with Mary Turner Thomson. She was amazing.
Mary was so gentle with me and listened to my story. She supported me to write the book. I thought it was rubbish and no one would be interested. But Mary told me to keep on writing. The book ended up being a best seller.
What was it like for you to write your book?
Sometimes, I’d find it hard. But. I thought ‘You can confront and face things and heal. Or you can let it overwhelm you, fester and destroy you.’ I wasn’t going to let that happen. It was a chance to get all the thoughts out of my brain into a book and onto a shelf.
Who did you write the book for?
It wasn’t about the book; it was about being brave enough to talk about the things that broke me. I wanted to tell people it is OK to feel broken, to talk about mental health, to talk about the secrets that you were told to keep quiet. It is OK to shine a light on the dark places that you haven’t spoken about before.
What difference has the book made to you?
Now, I can look at my past and accept what happened to me. I have a much greater understanding of my life. I had a dark start, but I created a much brighter future.
And, it has made a difference to other people too. It has given people the courage to open up and speak about their own experiences. You can say words and they mean nothing to you, but they can be profound to someone else.
Find out more
The Unwanted Gift: journey from abused child to martial art master
Don’s book is available to buy online.
Don’s experience
You can read more about Don’s experience, where he talks more about support, recovery and healing.
Holly talks to us about her book. It is called I Thought You Cared. We find out about why she wrote it and the changes she wants to see in the care system. Please note that Holly’s book describes difficult experiences.
What is your book about?
I Thought You Cared is my memoir of growing up in the care system and the lasting trauma that came with that experience. Sadly, this book explores my experiences within care, including abuse and exploitation, at times from the very people who were responsible for protecting and caring for me. It documents not only my personal journey, but also the ways in which the system that was meant to protect me failed.
Within the book, I share the documented reality of how someone responsible for my care was able to abuse me and inflict long-term harm, as well as the wider failings of the care system and local authority that allowed it to happen.
This is not just my story. It reflects the hidden experiences of many young people who have grown up in care and, in some cases, what life in the system can still look like today. The book brings those truths into the open, offering an honest account of what happens when vulnerable children are not properly safeguarded.
What made you decide to write your book?
I started writing this book three years ago, and, truthfully, it began from a place of anger. I needed somewhere to put everything I had carried for so long. Writing became a way to release those emotions and to see my life clearly, in my own words, on paper. In many ways it was therapeutic: it allowed me to process my experiences and take ownership of my story.
Over time, though, the purpose of the book changed. It is no longer written from a place of anger. Instead, it comes from a place of awareness and truth. I wanted to show what my experience of the care system was really like and to highlight the realities that often remain hidden. Writing the book allowed me to transform pain into something that could inform, support and hopefully help others.
How did you go about writing the book?
The writing process took around three years and was far from structured. I started simply by typing whenever I felt the need to. There were no chapters or clear sections at first, just pages of thoughts, memories and reflections. Whenever something weighed on my mind or I felt inspired, I would furiously smack the keyboard with the words, barely pausing for breath.
It wasn’t until about two years into the process that I began shaping the material into something more organised, creating chapters and trying to bring a clearer structure to the story. About six months ago, through Future Pathways, I was introduced to Mary at The Book Whisperers. With her support, I was able to bring everything together properly. She helped with formatting and preparing the manuscript for publication. While my writing itself needed very little editing, her guidance was invaluable in making the book publication-ready. Without that support, I don’t believe I would have reached this point.
What are you wanting your book to do?
Above all, I want this book to create awareness. I want it to show the reality of what can happen within the care system when safeguarding fails and when silence allows harm to continue. For survivors, I hope the book offers reassurance that they are not alone. I want anyone who has experienced similar trauma to feel seen and understood, and to know there is someone who truly relates through lived experience and that you are not what was done to you!
For young people who may currently be facing similar situations, I hope the book gives them courage: the courage to speak out, to seek support and to know that what they are experiencing is not something they should have to face alone.
I also want professionals to read this book and reflect. It is important that those working within care systems understand the real-life consequences of inaction, silence and missed warning signs. If this book can encourage greater accountability, compassion and change within the system, then sharing my story will have served a meaningful purpose.
Book signing event
In April, Holly will be sharing more about her book, talking about her journey and answering questions. The event is free and books will be available to buy at the event.
Thursday 2 April 2026
6:30-9:30pm
6VT Edinburgh City Youth Cafe
11–15 Vennel
Edinburgh
EH1 2HU
In winter we spend more time indoors. So, why not try a new recipe? Here we share ND’s recipe for delicious cherry cake.
Ingredients
175 grams butter, at room temperature
175 grams caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
220 grams self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
150 grams glace cherries
You will also need:
- a loaf tin
- a sheet of baking paper
- a wire rack
Method
Start by preheating the oven to Gas 4 / 180C / 160C fan / 350 F
Then follow the instructions below.
1) Grease a loaf tin with a little bit of butter. Then press in your baking paper. A standard 1 lb loaf tin will be fine.
2) Wash the cherries under the tap.
3) Dry the cherries.
4) Roll the cherries in a little bit of self raising flour. This helps to stop them sinking to the bottom of the cake.
5) In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
6) Beat one egg into the mixture.
7) Beat the second egg into the mixture.
8) Add the vanilla extract.
9) Add the baking powder.
10) Add the flour.
11) Stir the flour into the mixture
12) Add the cherries and stir them through the mixture.
13) Put your cake mixture into the tin and smooth the top of it with a spoon.
14) Put the tin on the middle shelf of the oven for about an hour. (Keep an eye on it to make sure the top does not burn. If it starts going brown too quickly, you can put a bit of foil on top of it loosely.)
15) After an hour’s cooking, put a skewer or a knife into the cake. If the knife comes out clean, your cake is ready.
16) Take the cake out of the oven. Take it out of the cake tin and cool on a wire rack. Enjoy a slice with a cup of tea!
View more recipes in Kitchen Creativity.
Robert tells us about 3D printing – how he started and what it means to him.
My path to this hobby didn’t start with a grand plan. For me, 3D printing arrived as an unexpected lifeline. I was in the middle of giving up smoking, and a friend of mine, seeing I needed something to keep me occupied, gave me a shot of his 3D printer.
The machine was a Qidi Smart x one 2. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect, but I wasn’t intimidated. I just wanted to dive in. I got it set up, and I was literally starting my first print within 10 minutes. It was just a pre-loaded cube shape, nothing special, but as I watched it build, layer by layer, I was hooked. The moment I held that little plastic cube in my hand, I knew this was for me. The initial goal of just being distracted was gone, replaced by this new, compelling interest.
After the cube, I wanted to try something more ambitious. I went on Printables website and found a model for a dragon with joints that moved. This was a huge jump. It was a “print-in-place” model, meaning it was designed to come off the printer with all its little joints and segments already working. It was amazing to see it print, knowing it would all be done.
And it worked! The dragon came off the printing plate, and I could move it around. The thrill was undeniable, but it also showed me the printer’s limits. Being an older model, the quality just wasn’t great. There was a lot of stringing – this is where thin plastic strands are left over on the model. And it looked rough. I could see the potential, but I was frustrated that I couldn’t make the clean, finished-looking objects I had in my head.
That frustration didn’t make me quit; it did the opposite. I decided if I was going to do this, I was going to do it right. I didn’t just get a small upgrade; I cannonballed straight into the deep end and ordered a brand-new Creality Hi Combo, complete with the CFS 4-spool feeder.
When it arrived, all I could say was, “Wow.” The difference was night and day. Going from that old printer to this new setup was like jumping from a propeller plane to a jet. The two things that blew me away were the print quality and, of course, the ability to print in multiple colors. The fuzzy details were gone, replaced by sharp, professional-looking prints.
The multi-color ability opened up a whole new universe. The first thing I had to print was a little white ghost with black eyes and a mouth. Just seeing it switch to the different coloured plastic automatically was incredible. But after that first fun print, my mind immediately went to practical things. The very next project I did was a set of custom warning signs for my CCTV system, printed in bright, can’t-miss-it yellow and black.
That, for me, was the moment I realised how far I’d come. What started as just a thoughtful gift from a friend to keep my hands busy had turned into a real, powerful passion. I went from printing a simple block, to a stringy dragon, to making high-quality, functional, multi-color items that I actually needed. The printer wasn’t just a distraction anymore; it was my tool for creation.
In this creative feature, we have photography from someone supported by Future Pathways.
These are examples of multiple exposure photography. This means making a photograph from more than one picture. We also find out more about the creative process.
“The project is about being multiple. At first, the pictures might look a bit random, but they’re really intentional — and that’s an important word in photography. Like us. Many of us were made intentionally by trauma. We’re showing truth in layers.
They show that we can lean into the ugly truths, and that some kinds of beauty can come from it. Hopefully the photographs help people feel — and maybe they can also give some hope to others going through hard times, that creating can be a way through.
Lots of us see the results before the shots are taken. The picture is already ‘there’ before the lens. Sometimes the photo ends up looking that way, sometimes it doesn’t — but more and more, it does now.
Working more with film especially has been different — more challenging, because it means slowing down and trusting the process. Not running ahead in a flee response. Waiting, seeing, and accepting whatever develops.
We’ve not had any formal education (school or photography) — everything has come through trying, failing, and finding our way. Learning as we go has worked best. It means the work isn’t about following rules, but about making something real.
It’s also been important having supportive relationships with other photographers. Sharing, learning, and being encouraged has helped us grow, and it makes the process less lonely. That kind of support, alongside the photography itself, has made a huge difference.”
Get creative in the kitchen! ND, who is registered with Future Pathways, shares his recipes with us. Made alongside his friend SN.
Below we have the recipe for banana bread. You can download the booklet which has recipes for:
- Banana bread
- Carrot cake
- Quick pizza
- Leek and potato gratin
- Creamy chicken and mushroom soup
- Easy chicken noodle soup
- Rhubarb custard tart
Banana bread
Ingredients:
100 grams, soft butter
175 grams, caster sugar
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 tablespoons of milk
You will also need a loaf tin, one that is about 17cm x 9cm x 9cm.
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180C / 350F / gas mark 4. Lightly grease the loaf tin with a little bit of butter and line it with non-stick baking paper. Set aside.
1. Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl. Beat them together for about 2 minutes until they are blended well. You can use an electric mixer or do it by hand with a wooden spoon.
2. Spoon the mixture into the tin and make sure the top of the mixture is level.
3. Bake for about 1 hour, until it is well risen and golden brown. When you put a knife or a skewer into the loaf, it should come out clean.
4. Take the loaf out of the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for a few minutes.
5. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn the loaf out.
6. Remove the lining paper and leave the loaf to cool on a wire rack.
7. Serve the loaf in thick slices.