Our,’ Ten Minutes With,’ series of interviews give businesses the opportunity to tell us what their future plans are despite a second Coronavirus wave looming, how living through the madness of 2020 has been for them and if it’s made them take stock and they’re living differently.
This week we’re talking to Marvin Molloy, one of the directors of Together We Make A Difference, an organisation that really does help change young people’s lives.
How would you describe yourself in five words?
Positive
Approachable
Caring
Determined
Ambitious
Tell us about your business?
At Together We Make A Difference (TWMAD for short) we work with young people to help improve their aspirations and progress in life using a range of our different mentoring programmes. We essentially take them on a journey from A to B and push them in the right direction.
We work with schools to help give kids that need it extra support, mainly through coaching and mentoring. It
could be that they are disengaged or have poor attendance levels. We also work with those that are involved in gang culture which is a massive issue in Stoke-on-Trent.
We also work directly with the community by delivering a range of coaching sessions and events.
What did you do before launching your business?
I worked in Community Development for Changes Health & Wellbeing on a range of public health projects and I also had a Sports Development role with the charity Arch helping support the homeless.
At Staffs Uni, I studied Sports Development and Coaching which has really helped with my career.
How was lockdown for you?
Busy – I was essentially on Daddy Day Care Duty. I’ve got two daughters, a 15-year-old and a one-year-old.
My wife is a nursing assistant and during lockdown she was working on the Covid-19 wards, which meant
childcare fell to me in the day.
Work was very quiet, so other than working on the business I had enough time to look after the girls.
We didn’t escape Covid though, both my wife and I had it. My wife lost her sense of taste but got through it ok. I felt like the sails had been knocked out of me. For a fortnight I felt really poorly and spent a lot of time on the settee. It was a bad experience and I’m young and fit.
What’s the first thing you bought for yourself?
I decided that I needed to get fitter so bought a bike, oh and lots of clothes.
Have you learnt anything about yourself?
Definitely. I think I realised how important it is to switch off, look after yourself and spend time on self-
reflection. I stopped looking at social media and watching the news so I could take time out. I listened to
inspirational podcasts and made sure I read more, which I’m still doing.
Are you going to do anything differently after lockdown has been lifted?
After getting Covid I am much more mindful of my health. I’ve got a proper sweet tooth so I’m going to lay off
the sugary snacks, exercise more and look after my immune system!
What are your plans for the future?
We’re continually reinvesting into the business. Working with the area’s young people we’ve seen first-hand
how much untapped talent there is. We’re working with kids who have got a real talent for music. They’re already writing their own songs and producing some fantastic beats so this year we’re converting one floor of
our office into a new music studio, with a vocal booth and recording equipment to deliver music and podcast
projects from there.
We’re really excited and want to help the youngsters we work with fulfil their potential and showcase their talents.
And finally, if you were down to your last £50 what would you spend it on?
I’d take my family somewhere, maybe for a nice meal – I wouldn’t have dessert though!
If you’d like to be one of our, ‘Ten Minutes With,’ interviewees find out more by dropping us a line at
hello@legspr.agency
