When my wife and I separated after 40 years of marriage, I fell to pieces. So in 2016, I got an allotment. Now I grow my own fruit and veg.

There's no doubt that getting that allotment was the start of my fight back, to some sense of normality in my life. It gave me an objective: a reason to get off my arse and do something. I purposely took on a plot that needed a lot of work; it was hard graft and it kept me going.

The following year I took on another plot, and began to do more of the site managing. I had the time to repair communal tools, and the fencing around the site. I cleared up the orchard. I began to cut the grass on the site, made it look cleaner. I shouldered more responsibility and became a trustee of the allotment site.

In 2018 I took on my third and biggest plot, again starting from a wilderness, and making it workable. As any allotmenteer will tell you, your plot is always changing, and this year I'm planning more: a pond, a greenhouse to replace the poly tunnel, wider paths. Lots to do.

Growing my own fruit and veg has got me into cooking, making jams, and the excess produce I give to the local cafes in Harehills.

What do I do now? I do youth work, litter picking, and volunteering. I've joined a theatre ensemble. Life is getting better.