Ghost Academy history
Ghost Academy was established by Sam Purnell who, after 21 years in the industry, 17 years of running a successful commercial hairdressing business and 15 years’ experience of teaching, realised that she could use hairdressing training as a way to reach girls and women with complex needs. Having seen the difference her informal interventions had made to a young girl with complex problems, she decided to set up the Ghost Academy (initially as an unincorporated association and then as a registered charity).
Ghost Academy has a strong emphasis on multi-agency partnership working and a holistic approach to working with this vulnerable group of women. Ghost work with the whole-person, supporting its women in all areas of their lives, building their self-esteem and empowering them to make positive changes. This personally-tailored support enables women to problem solve, build resilience and find ways to support each other. Even after the first couple of weeks of engagement with the programme, many of them report that they cannot believe the positive change in their lives.
As good as it’s training is, Ghost Academy’s programme is not merely a hairdressing course; it is a lifeline for women who felt that they had limited scope or hope for the future, few if any opportunities, or a useful role in society.
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Sam approached The Big Lottery and applied for Awards for All funding. Using this grant and she match funded from her own commercial salon. Ghost delivered a pilot project to 46 ladies from the Barking & Dagenham and the Havering area.
It was initially agreed that the funding would cover working with 30 females but…
“We are like the army, we don’t leave anyone behind!”
Sam
Ghost accepted everyone that applied! Sam raised the money to cover the other 16 places. These ladies had a history of offending, substance misuse, domestic abuse, mental health, long term unemployment, low levels of academic achievement and self harm including prostitution.
The project was a complete success.
- 93% did not re-offend
- 88% were substance free
- 100% increased their self esteem
- 80% progressed on to further study or employment after program completed.
Ghost Academy was then approached by LBBD Early Intervention managers, DWP and LBBD substance misuse to deliver further projects. Alongside this Ghost approached grant funders and were amazed by the amount of financial support they received. These programs were used as an example of good practice in DCLG presentations. Ghost was on more than a few occasions described as “the most successful provider”.
Along the journey Ghost staff have qualified in many other areas to strengthen the offering to our girls. Ghost are especially pleased to be qualified in the Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities. Using a holistic approach meant ghost worked closely with the whole family which included the children and young people in these families. Ghost spent a huge chunk of time finding positive activities that met the needs no matter what financial or emotional position the families were in. Ghost found there was a massive gap between professional costly activities and free activities only targeting deprived or gang affiliated young people. So … Ghost ventured into the youth support arm of our organisation – Ghost Get Active!
Ghost set up an advisory board of 20 young people who drove this project forward. Ghost secured funding from London Sport for 6 activities Rugby, Dance, Basketball, Yoga, Football and Martial Arts. The only aim was to have a safe space for young people to have fun, learn a new sport and get active! We hired amazing venues and the best of the best coaches…
- Joe IKhinmwin – Captain of the professional Basketball team “The London Lions”
- Jordan Wigham of Gainline Rugby, also coach at Romford & Gidea Park Rugby club
- Ricky Simons coach at Millwall FC and Dagenham & Redbridge FC
These activities were fantastic and very very popular. The groups brought the community together. There were young people from different postcodes, different cultures, genders, economical and academic levels, criminal activity and way of living/home lives. Sam got to know most of the participants and invited them to be on our advisory board. Since our activities stopped Ghost are aware that a few young people from these activities need the support again to avoid negative pathways so we are actively applying for funding to reinstate these asap.
Ghost believe our community can only remain our community if we all care and take back control.
“You can’t moan unless you are willing to try to do something about it!”
Let’s all start caring again! That could be actually getting involved or maybe even supporting a local group that are there doing the physical actions. Our young people need support not judgement. Gang culture, quick easy money, knife crime, postcode wars, it’s just insane. Some young people are literally just trying to survive in their own war zone. Our vulnerable women are almost always survivors of child hood abuse, neglect and just quite honestly a person that no one ever cared about enough. Poor parenting values come from experiences. They don’t use drugs or live the life they have by choice. Their choice was never given to them. Ghost DO NOT believe negative/illegal actions should be excused but the factors could be understood a little better. To date we have worked with 128 families and we can honestly tell you something special about each and everyone of them because Ghost is not just a tick box activity … we care!
Dear Madam/Sir
I am writing this letter to acknowledge the work the Ghost Academy does and how it totally transformed my life.
In June 2014, I had completed a 6 month rehabilitation resident treatment for the misuse of drugs and alcohol. After care was at Addaction where I was referred to the Ghost academy to do a Hairdresser course as a way to start to integrate into society.
One of the consequences of my addiction was that my 3 boys had been removed from me and taken into social care, under a section 20.
My self esteem was at great time low and suicidal thoughts were a constant, even though I had been sober and clean for 6 months.
The ghost academy course helped me to build my self esteem, sense of worth and gave a new goal in life. To become a hairdresser to work for myself was great idea as we worked on my personal development portfolio, with Sam P. (my tutor) and a fantastic solution for the big list of criminal convictions I had accumulated over the years.
At the time the Ghost academy was the only school that had modules that targeted my issues and with the counselling session it made the perfect support needed for me to overcame and reach to the levels of confidence and freedom I have today.
After completing level 1, if let ready to begin the process to get my boys back. The boys have return to my total care on June 2015 and Sam’s Team were there to support me with the transaction.
Today I’m self employed as Qualified Massage therapist and Wellbeing consultant. I am currently studying on my second year at the UWTSD, BA Leadership in Management. I am also a single mum of 3 boys who have been home for nearly 4 years and in recovery, together. I have turned 5 years clean, sober and free of prescribed medication last February. My latest achievement is to be free from smoking and vaping for 2 years now. All of the above only been possible because of the amazing support the Ghost Academy has given and other ladies with similar issue has me. Even today the aftercare support is still available and I’m ever so grateful for the team at the Ghost Academy.
My name is Suzanne, I’m a ex drug user, ex criminal and a ex prostitute, this is my story.
So I just turned 20 and I take my first line of herion, someone told me dont do that ur get addicted NO I WONT WAS MY WORDS, but guess what I did 3 weeks later. I’m smoking it every day £40pound a day habbit 1 month later went to £80pound a day habbit, then before I knew it i was smoking crack and heroin £150pound a day habbit, blink off a eye I’m shop lifting, beatin people and mugging people did I care what i do to get the money NO I DIDNT, first time I get arrested I cried but that didn’t bother me, I went back and back.
Then I meet a road called ILFORD LANE, that when I started to sell my body and things got really bad £200 to £400pound a day habbit, I got arrested for prostitution I got probation for that do you think I went??? NO I NEVER, then there was a warrant out for my arrest do you think I handed myself in?? NOPE I NEVER then I got arrested in Ilford town centre do you think I got a bail, NO went down the same road again another chance off probation same thing again didn’t go went on the run all over London, then one day I was really ill didnt have my fixs no money to get any meet a guy gave him a service he tried to take the money back off me so I stabbed him with a screwdriver in his hand,(one off many times I turned violent) got arrested went to jail, it was a laughter 3 meals a day get a TV in ur room ect got out, and guess what did I learn my lesson?? NO I never went back and forward a couple off times, still selling my body but things got real £900 pound a day habbit I’m doin all sorts off crime at this point, AND GUESS WHAT I STILL DIDNT CARE WHO GOT HURT OR WHAT I HAD TO DO.
Then the last time I go to jail was for drug charges was in there and a guy called Jonathan come and saw me from barking drug centre sat me down and spoke bout a Academy called ghost, (always wanted to do somethink with hair) so he tells me all bout it, all I keep on thinkin aww one off these bullshit things that’s never gone happen, I get out off jail and not hear nothink more about it, so I served my time Jonathan meets me at the prison gates takes me back to barking I get script for methadone and a little hostel in north woolwich 3 days later, a woman calls me tells me her name is Sam and she the owner off Ghost salon and she the woman who wants to help people like me, so I get invited to meet her and tell me about the course, so its bein 20 mins and I’m sittin in my room WORRYIN AS I DO, what if I cant do this what if its not for me what if all I keeped on thinkin 3 days pass and I go and guess what?? She was great the course was great from that point on I decided to sort my self out 2 months in to the course I was doin so well and really loved it.
My views I find probation DOES NOT WORK but with ghost Academy I had that chance to prove to myself that I could start a new life get clean and do something with my life and without Sam’s help I don’t think I’ll be where I am now, I really do wish that more people had this opportunity that I had and I really hope more people get the opportunity that I had with ghost academy, she doesn’t have to do what she does but she does because she wants to help people make something of their lives and right now if it wasn’t for that course I’ll be still doing what I was doing I’ve been 5 years clean I’ve got a chance to be a mum again to my 2 year old daughter and now I’ve got a 3 bedroom house and a partner all thanks to goes to Academy for giving me that chance.
Yours sincerely
Suzanne
Hi my name is kellie…
An I’m 43 a mother, daughter,strong, confident happy, clean, woman, also, an addict, who is looking to the 🔮 future … and believe me 5 years ago I wasn’t 100% any of these…
I am 1,376 days clean from heroin an crack, valium. 24years in a manic life style criminal activities prison probation d.r.o, rehabs an nothing interested or, scared me enough to want to help me get clean until I got probation an they told me I had to do a hairdressing course with other people in same situations well I wasn’t happy 🤔 as wasn’t ready for the help but agreed an thought I’ll waffle along I was was the probation Guinea pig if they could keep me out of prison an to complete probation with out breech wow they would of got a pat on bk….
So I’m 43 have 1 son he’s 25… My life was hectic I was in a violent relationship I got married young 18 I had my son an I was beaten black an blue by the man who was meant to love me protect me. I had no family Friends he isolated me.. An gave me heroin in spliffs. I was naive didn’t have a clue about drugs I ended up getting in to trouble with police an was controlled by my husband up until 7 years ago I didn’t know who kellie was what kellie liked..
I left my husband after he took it further then a beating I was alone with a baby an a drug habit to feed I was getting arrested going down hill I was lucky I had a good family who took my son rather then social services but in a way that also made me be able to do what I wanted as he was safe selfish but honest I was facing prison so was offered rehab an thought well ill do it for my son if I loved him I’d stop… If only that easy so wen I left rehab I felt like a useless mum. Next I got 14 months in prison was thrown out after 7months with £97 no home no benefits so I just went back to old area old friends old behaviours an that’s all it wa shoplifting drugs prison morn noon night before I knew it 15 years had gone by my son was 17 an I’d missed alot of he’s life. I’d messed up mine I was lucky to even be here situations I’d got in someone was looking over me..
Well what came next saves my life.. Ghost academy as said I didn’t want to do this. I met Sam wonderful woman… Wasn’t looking forward to this well I turned up an see how much time effort Sam was putting in to us women risking her own business reputation to have us women who others had given up on an it was one day we was in the salon an Sam said something to me about if I wanted the help she was here to help me every step of the way an no one had ever said that for no reason as I was ready to give up as probation wasn’t helping me or I. O. M.
I was getting passed pillow to post an Sam didn’t give up even wen I told here I wasn’t interested in hairdressing but floristry but said do this an ill help u with that I was a night mare sometimes ready to give up well people wasn’t listening to how I was being treated by the people who was meant to of helped me.
I was ready to get clean but no one was there to help me I only had Sam an ghost academy but that wasn’t enough. I needed the help from the people who was paid to help me I had the tools from Sam an myself we had worked hard but I was let down by probation so I ended up relapsing an went back to prison for a long while but I wasn’t going to let them win. I worked on myself an with what I’d learnt from ghost self-esteem confidence cravings an I came out an I’m doing OK.
I’ve had alot of health problems an housing issues but I’m clean an haven’t gone back down that road I’ve still had support from Sam up till now I enjoyed the course without being given that chance I’d be dead.. Serving a big prison sentence in a violent relationship still on drugs my son wouldn’t be in my life I’d not be kellie an to me that’s the most important thing as that’s when I’m a good mum, a daughter, a person not a drug addict.
I’m now a ex drug addict it was the best thing walking through those salon doors thank you an when women support each other incredible things can happen.
Kellie
Profile
- Mother of Two.
- Two fathers, both unhealthy relationships.
- Bipolar with aggressive behaviour outbursts which led to police involvement.
- Living in two bed flat Rent arrears.
- Debts and threats of bailiffs.
- Was in constant pain with back.
- Long term unemployed and was refused pip.
Help Received from Ghost Academy
| Education | – Passed level 1 in hairdressing and secured level 2 place in a bigger college. She passed and is now training to level 3! |
| Work | – Secured work experience placement. |
| Housing | – Fought with occupational health to get the family moved to a 3 bedroom house with wet room and stair lift. Secured! – Pulled on the heart strings of every professional we know to have the house decorated then they helped move her furniture and belongings to the house. |
| Finances | – Contacted all debts and created a plan with the help of step change the charity. – Did benefit calculation and applied for pip and carers allowance-secured. |
| Health | – Supported a Doctors appointment and got diagnosis of arthritis and hip displacement. Treatment plan made, medication stabilised. |
| Childcare | N/a |
| Family Life | N/a |
In addition to this, she has lost 2 stone and there has been no police call outs!!!!!
Happy family
Profile
- Female, aged 30.
- Four children under the age of 12 with 2 fathers.
- Mental Health and anger issues caused children’s services to remove the children and place them in foster care.
- Child hood abuse, Domestic abuse within the youngest children’s father..victim and perpetrator.
- She refused to take the medication for mental health as they made her zombie like.
- Children were about to be adopted.
Help Received from Ghost Academy
| Education | – Professional qualifications in place. On hold to focus on the children. |
| Work | N/a |
| Housing | – Moved house to a 4 bedroom town house. |
| Finances | – Correct benefit in place and prior promised support chased and received. |
| Health | – Now medication stable self esteem has increased. – Domestic abuse course attended. – Anger management complete. – Regular Gym user. |
| Childcare | – The children have been returned to her home and stepped down from child protection to child in need! – School placement secured. |
| Family Life | – Children all settled in well. Mother feels confident in new parenting strategies. School reporting – excellent. |
Profile
- Mother of Three.
- Bailiffs on doorstep.
- Dyslexic and unable to read proficiently.
- Kids not attending school. Daughter missing from home.
- Daughter has a physical disability but not managed within school.
- Partner is addicted to drugs.
Help Received from Ghost Academy
| Education | – Found English classes. |
| Work | N/a |
| Housing | – Contacted bailiffs. Set up payment plan. – Contacted Housing to stop eviction. Payment plan created. |
| Finances | – Wrote a simple plan of action to sort out her finances to manage her massive amount of debt. – Benefit check – Found grants available to family. |
| Health | – Referred to professional therapy support. |
| Childcare | – Contacted school, arranged meetings. – Arranged disability team to assess daughters needs. Care plan created. – Spoke to older daughters school. Checked and their was concerns with her behaviour. |
| Family Life | – One to one with partner – Mediator role! – Referred to CAMHS. |
The family are on the pathway to being secure. It’s a long term plan but the building blocks are secure for now!
“I would consider Ghost Academy to be our provider of choice when supporting the most vulnerable and challenging individuals. The ethics of Ghost Academy and the dedication to providing a good service to Partners and the general public has always been commendable. The energy, drive and enthusiasm which Sam Purnell has, demonstrates that they should be given recognition for the work that they undertake in the Borough of Barking & Dagenham”
Beverly Gayle, Borough Relationship Manager for Barking & Dagenham and Havering
“Ghost Hair Academy has been our most successful external provider, delivering outcomes to the standard required. Ghost are creative and innovative and engage very well with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged customers within the local authority”
Gill Wilson, LBBD Service Manager-Intervention
“From working with Sam it is evident that she genuinely cares about the women she works with and wants to make a difference to their lives. The GHOST Academy is a very worthwhile programme, it is very well run and one which I do not hesitate to refer ex-offenders or recovering substance misusers to”
Chris Stannett, Havering Integrated Offender management
“The phenomenal amount of personal tailored support that they have received from Sam has enabled the women to problem solve, build resilience and find ways to support each other… they cannot believe the positive changes in their lives… it is not merely a hairdressing course…. it is a lifeline for women who felt that had limited hopes for the future”
Susan Cade, IOM Female Pathways Co-ordinator, Barking & Dagenham