\n Kevin Begley has been a familiar face at Your Voice for almost six years and helps others use sport and wellbeing activities to better themselves.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin himself battled with drink and drugs when he was in his early twenties but courageously gained his sobriety in 2007 at the age of 27.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin Begley is a familiar face at Your Voice. (Image: George Munro)\n<\/p>\n
\n In the years that have followed, he has used his experiences and his knowledge to help people become more connected in their communities and live a full and happy life.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin, 46, said: \u201cI love being able to help people through doing things that I know have helped me.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n After attending St Patrick\u2019s Primary and Notre Dame High School, Kevin worked as a welder in a shipyard in Govan for four years.\n<\/p>\n
\n His love of football and fitness helped him get sober and in 2008 he represented Scotland with the Street Soccer team at the Homeless World Cup in Australia.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin\u2019s experience with Street Soccer led him into working in health and social care and he took on a role working in addiction and homeless services for Turning Point Scotland in Glasgow.\n<\/p>\n
\n After a few years there, he decided to take a break and worked as a Tesco delivery driver at the start of the pandemic.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin got a job as a community connector at Your Voice in 2020 as coronavirus was properly taking hold.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: \u201cIt was a really strange time.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cMy main job was phoning people who were isolated and who didn\u2019t have any family, and providing them with social connection.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n
\n In the first 18 months of his role at Your Voice, when pandemic restrictions began to ease, Kevin helped individuals from all over Inverclyde get out into the community and promoted the importance of health and wellbeing.\n<\/p>\n
\n When the support organisation received a significant amount of funding post-pandemic to be used to help people get active again by going to the gym, Kevin carved out a unique role for himself.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: \u201cI\u2019ve been passionate about football and fitness for years and it helped me so much in my recovery.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI\u2019m known to my colleagues as the \u2018gym guy\u2019.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI\u2019m still a community connector and but I have a real focus on the fitness site of things.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI\u2019m really enthusiastic when I\u2019m doing it because I know that I\u2019m helping people.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin has been running group gym sessions on a Tuesday and a Thursday at Urban Fit gym in Greenock for around four years.\n<\/p>\n
\n The classes rely on donations, so Kevin is always on the lookout for funding sources to keep them going.\n<\/p>\n
\n Your Voice has recently received funding from the Inverclyde HSCP health improvement team which is being used to run a 12-week programme of classes on Mondays.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin said: \u201cFitness is fantastic for mental and physical health and it helps so many different kinds of people, including people with long-term health conditions and disabilities.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe cover all angles in the sessions.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s about getting that social connection for people who are suffering through loneliness and isolation and helping them to form new relationships, all while they\u2019re getting fitter.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cSome people face barriers in getting to a commercial gym – they maybe don\u2019t have the money or it\u2019s too intimidating.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe have the gym to ourselves and it\u2019s closed off to the public so it\u2019s much more welcoming and it makes everyone feel safer.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n
\n Soon after he took on the Your Voice role, Kevin set up football sessions for asylum seekers staying in Inverclyde.\n<\/p>\n
\n Funding for the scheme unfortunately didn\u2019t continue but players have been able to keep playing through Street Soccer and in Craig Molloy\u2019s training sessions.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin says a couple of the New Scots also come along to his gym sessions now.\n<\/p>\n
\n He told the Tele the best part of his job as a community connector with a focus on fitness is seeing the transformation in people.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin added: \u201cTheir confidence grows at the same time as their overall health and wellbeing and their general fitness.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cPeople are maybe a bit shy at first but you see them opening up and forming meaningful relationships.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThey\u2019re organising social events outwith the sessions and going for lunch.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThat shows me that the sessions are really improving lives.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cFitness is so beneficial for people.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin runs a movement and mindfulness group in the office and said taking a holistic approach to health and fitness is vital.\n<\/p>\n
\n He added: \u201cI really believe in it and I\u2019m really passionate about it.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cSometimes people get stuck in a cycle of taking medication but they need to think about their overall health.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cSocial connection and mindfulness is a big part of that.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt really does help people and it works.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin says his wife Stephanie has been a constant source of support to him for many years.\n<\/p>\n
\n He loves working with the team at Your Voice and enjoys being a big part of the community.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin added: \u201cBeing able to put a bit back into the community is really great for my self-worth.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI\u2019m not stuck in a rut; I\u2019m being beneficial to society.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t enjoy your work, there\u2019s no point in being there.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
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