My name is Mike I am one of the many young people whose life has been transformed by CHICKS and its wonderful staff.

I'm going to tell you a little bit about my circumstances, and then you can appreciate the difference that CHICKS made to me.

I come from Ellesmere Port, which is for those who don't know is a town in Cheshire. I was classed as a young carer as I was and still remain the full time carer for my mother.

My dad was an alcoholic, and this lead to problems with me in school, i.e. bullying and name calling and basically from that I seriously lacked confidence. He used to beat my mum up, which at the age of 7 I had seen things that most grown men would cringe at. Through this I met a lady in school who knew and sympathised with our situation and put us in touch with Chester and Ellesmere Port Young Carers Project.

I attended sessions run by the project for over a year and then got offered the chance to go on holiday at CHICKS. Now this for me was a big thing as I don't really enjoy not being at home. I know for a fact that she has help at home if she needs it, however I don't like the fact that it's not me. So it was a big step.

All fears and worries were soon put out of my mind when I arrived at CHICKS. I was homesick; I didn't know what to make of it or the people there. But it took about ten minutes for me to realise that these are fantastic people who will thoroughly look after me. I think people who can give that sort of comfort naturally to people like me are truly remarkable.

Well I can safely say I had one of the best weeks of my life. I got the opportunity to try new things such as body boarding and horse riding. I think I managed to get something out of it which I didn't get at home, I feel horrible for saying this but I got to have FUN!

Sooner than hoped the week came to an end, and I ask you to go to any of the camps on the last day and I bet you will see someone crying, crying because they had the time of their life and they don't want to go back home.

Now had this been an ordinary holiday, all they would have had to console themselves with would be the fond memories of the time they had. CHICKS are different. I got home and instantly wanted to go back again. But I was told I could send letters, so I did and the staff kept in contact with us. Letting us know how things were going at CHICKS and also asking about our life and how we were getting on. It's always nice now and again when you talk to people about problems for them to be out of the equation, it gives a sense of distance which helps sometimes.

I said when I was there, when I left on the first camp I came to, I would go back the moment I turned 18 and volunteer. Sure enough when I was old enough I applied, however I wasn't able to go due to the fact I was working 2 jobs at the time and couldn't manage to get the time off. I will certainly be volunteering in the summer coming, and I have told all my friends about CHICKS and the work it does, so they are all keen to help out as well!

I'm currently in Drama School here in London. Through CHICKS I found confidence to be able to feel good about myself and actually merit myself, therefore I decided to pursue a career in something I have always enjoyed which is acting. I went to college and came out with the highest grade possible and now I'm at Central School of Speech and Drama in London studying Drama, Applied Theatre and Education.

I think if you look at me, I have a lot to thank CHICKS for. I just hope that this amazing charity gets to continue its work. Plus I'm kind of hoping for a job offer one day!