Craig Waldron, 29, is helping to spearhead an appeal by Swindon Mentoring and Self Help (SMASH) for volunteers. Mentors help vulnerable people aged 13 to 19. Craig, a veterinary surgeon, works at Drove Veterinary Hospital in Taw Hill. He lives near Swindon with his partner of 10 years.

CRAIG Waldron knows exactly what difference a mentor can make to the life of a troubled teenager.

Without such a person, he is convinced, his successful career as a vet would simply never have happened.

During his own teens, family issues he still prefers not to discuss led to a period of intense unhappiness.

“I knew of SMASH because my partner had worked for them many years ago as a project worker. I thought it was something I’d like to get involved with, but it took a while for me to get into it.

“What decided me was my experience when I was younger. A certain person in particular was very supportive to me. If I hadn’t had that support I would not have achieved what I wanted to achieve.

“The person was my grandmother. From the point of view of family life things were quite difficult at times – that troubled me an awful lot. Had I not had that support I don’t believe I’d be where I am now.

“I wanted to be that person for somebody else.

“As with a lot of the young people helped by SMASH, it was a family-based problem that caused me trouble, but unfortunately a lot of people don’t have a supportive grandmother to help them get through it.”

Craig attended Kingsdown School and then New College, where his A-level grades in maths, English, chemistry and biology were enough to earn him a highly coveted place on Liverpool University’s veterinary medicine course.

He studied for six years and has been working at Taw Hill for two-and-a-half.

Craig had wanted to be a vet since childhood. “I had the opportunity to do work experience when I was 14. I remember writing to various veterinary colleges to ask for information,” he said.

He also had a desire to serve the community in some other way.

He said: “Knowing that SMASH involves a long-term relationship - 12 months – I knew I really could make a difference.

“Everybody has something to offer; everybody has got their own experiences and backgrounds. The project trains you and pairs you up so that what you have to offer is relevant to that person.

“It would have been late last year, round about November, that I put my application in. I got the form from the website. You are then contacted by them to arrange an informal interview, a chat where you go through what they’re about and they find out what you can offer, and I suppose to check that you have the right understanding of what you’re involved with. Thereafter there’s training.

“You go through the training process with a cohort of other people that have done the same as yourself. You get trained in all aspects of child protection, child abuse and so on.

“The young people are referred by other professionals – partner organisations, counsellors, teachers, social workers and people like that. The referral is sent in. There’s an application form. The young people are seen by a project worker to see if they’re keen to go on and achieve the ends that we want.”

After training, Craig was placed on SMASH’s list of mentors, and in February was paired with 15-year-old Ollie Webb, from Penhill. Ollie says SMASH has changed his life, improving his behaviour and making him a generally happier person. He said of Craig: “He speaks to me as a friend or a younger brother. We have a lot of trust.”

Mentors and mentored alike must show plenty of commitment.

Craig said: “The baseline, the most important part, is that you meet with the young person approximately once a week for 12 months.

“The fact that you’re turning up itself achieves an awful lot because that person will feel valued and understand that they’re worth somebody bothering to turn up.

“You meet up and do something that allows you to have a good time and maybe at the same time talk through things, set goals and achieve goals. You might go for a meal or to play badminton and at the same time you’ll be working through problems.”

Meetings can happen more frequently and there is nothing to prevent the mentoring relationship from continuing after the 12 months are up.”

“I do find it very rewarding,” said Craig. “You get a sense of achievement. My experience so far has been to see a young person developing a new outlook on life, schooling, grades and interaction with family.”

Further informatioin about SMASH can be obtained at admin@smashyouthproject.co.uk and on 01793 729748.