Dive into the inspiring story of Anthony, a man who overcame childhood adversity, family struggles, and a challenging life in Sheffield’s streets to become a passionate community advocate. From navigating domestic violence, anxiety, and social pressures to founding initiatives like Always an Alternative, Anthony is dedicated to transforming youth lives through education, weapon amnesty programs, mobile youth clubs, and anti-knife crime campaigns. His journey highlights the importance of early intervention, community engagement, and turning personal struggles into powerful solutions for the next generation. Learn how Anthony’s resilience fuels his mission to create safer, stronger communities and empower young people to choose a better path.
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Welcome back to On the Verge YouTube channel. And
today I got a guest that I personally wanted to get on. Again, I keep getting these guests on
personally. Um, so just for the record before I introduce you, there’s been no premeditated
recordings. There’s been no things where I’ve said I’m going to ask you these questions and all like
that. Apart from, you know, there’s one question. Yeah. Right. All straight up. Yeah. So, you know
that I’m going to ask you one question and we work from there and then at the end you get the
opportunity to ask me a question. Yeah. Okay. So, um, today I’m introducing you to Anthony.
Um, Anthony or Anthony? Anthony. Anthony. Okay. Anthony. Anthony. Right. Okay. So,
I’m So, today we’ve got Anthony on. Um, so my first question to you is in most walks of
life it can be disrespectful the way it’s said. Yeah. But I’m just going to ask you it the way
Yeah. I want to ask it. So my question to you is who are you? Who am I? I think Oh, it’s a good
question. Who am I? I am Anthony. You’ve already said that. I like to think of myself as a a cool
guy, you know, uh fair, honest, and yeah, I just like to keep it keep it straight and simple. Okay.
So straight and simple. So then we’ll dive we’ll dive in. So what how about you give me you tell me
about your upbringing. So let’s go from obviously you won’t so your earliest childhood memories.
Yeah. Up until the end of primary school. So um my earliest memory So you were talking mom,
dad, brother sisters X Y and Z. Yeah. So, I can’t really I don’t really remember stuff, man.
Only stuff I don’t want to. Okay. Um but um yeah, from Sheffield. I’ve got a little brother, little
sister. My brother, they’re not little. Obviously, we’re all old now, but um my brother six years
younger than me, my sister’s eight years younger than me. Um brought up with my mom for the most
part. When we was younger, dad was kinder about I think the earliest memory I did have were
them fighting, my parents fighting and stuff, getting into physical altercations. Um, so are we
going mom white, dad black, or we going dad? Yeah, mom white. Mom white, dad black. Mom’s white.
My dad’s black. My dad’s um he’s half Jamaican, half Nigerian, and my mom’s full white.
It’s your mom the opposite way to you. Oh, is it? Yeah. So my mom’s black, my dad’s white.
Oh. So imagine when we’re growing up, it kind of it’s quite rare that I mean now you see it more,
but Yeah, it is quite rare to be fair. So So obviously you from saying what you’ve said there,
you’ve obviously witnessed domestic violence in the household growing up. But then you go so years
so eight years younger, two and six years younger. So yeah. So they’re quite close together. Yeah.
Yeah. Okay. So then school are you school? I see a grin cuz looking back looking back yeah I I now
know that I had a lot of sort of an anxiety it would be called now. So I used to get like stomach
ache a lot out of worry when I was at school. I just used to worry about absolutely everything
like oh will my mom be all right if I get oh my brother and my sister all right even though this
is just like normal days like there’s nothing for him not to be all right but my mind just goes it
just it just goes mad and yeah so growing up um I like to at school I I was I’m not dumb but I’m not
smart I’m just a grafter so it doesn’t matter how I’m getting there I’m getting there. If I have to
read 25 more books, watch 25 more podcasts than a smart person, I’ll have to do that. But I’ll get
I’ll get there. And I and I think very straight and simple. I break everything down to little bits
for me to understand it. Unfortunately, in school, that’s not the way you that’s not the way you’re
allow top of it. You have to read from books. found it very difficult obviously getting into
trouble not a lot of people said that I was a bully but I’m laughing because I was only doing
to them what my dad did to me so if my dad were like oh you’re all right he’d give me a little
punch like obviously it weren’t no it might hurt me sometimes but for the most part it didn’t hurt
so if I’m showing affection in the same way as I got showed affection but obviously that’s bullying
it is bullying but I wasn’t being a bully. I just thought that’s how you say hello to your friends.
Yeah. So you it’s it’s it’s taught nature. It’s what what you see. Learn behavior. Yes. Yes. It’s
a learned behavior. And you’re a big lad. I’m a big lad. So and I’m guessing you throughout the
whole time I’ve always been you’ve always been a big So So primary school is a little bit difficult
for you. Yeah. You’re going through the anxiety stages, but then cuz I’m guessing even then your
brother and sister aren’t even in primary school. Yeah. So your brother might not have been born.
So it would have been reception. Your sister would have been about year one by the time you’re in
year six. Something like that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it’s around it’s like that in it like around
them times. Yeah. I moved from one school to another school. That’s when I think my mom and
dad separated when I was in year four. I don’t know how old that is cuz I had to go to another
school. So year four is 10. Yeah. 9 10 years old. That’s when but yeah. So that’s when I moved. But
my sister never seen no brother and sister didn’t see no domestic. Okay. I hid them from it. I knew
what was going on. So even though these six years and eight years between me and my brother and
my sister what we saw and what we was exposed to they was limited to what they saw however you
saw. Yeah. I saw everything you know. So growing up bit like the conversation that we had earlier
obviously not relevant to this about growing up too fast like I had no choice especially when
my dad left I was expected to fill the role of a man in the house at 10 years old which is
something that what the like how is that even possible? Do you know what? Cuz you take me back
there when when you’re thinking about it because obviously we’ve spoken off. We were talking about
charities and and and and young children nowadays and I’m thinking because obviously mom has to
work as a single parent. So the responsibility of being at home with the children falls onto you
then, doesn’t it? So you do kind of are the you’re chastising because you’re making sure they don’t
do anything wrong because you’re going to be the one that gets in trouble when mom comes home and
something’s gone wrong in it. Yeah. Yeah. for the most part to be fair some that later on that was a
setup but when while I was younger she didn’t work my mom didn’t work till okay I got a bit older so
that part of it wasn’t wasn’t the issue the other parts of it such as making sure the other two my
other two my brother and my sister behaved making sure that the house wasn’t too messy if my mom you
know what I mean because they’re not going to get in trouble I’m going get in trouble. So, I need to
make sure that but you know, you just grow into I just grew into that role because I said I I were a
very caring person and I remember like when I was younger like those primary school days and I like
call it anxiety or whatnot. I used to like nearly cry because I couldn’t understand why people would
need glasses or why someone’s got down syndrome or why someone’s in a wheelchair. Like I’d wind
myself up so much I get upset. Is overthinking. Yeah. Yeah. Overthinking. Okay. which which I’ll
get on to why in a bit but yeah and then yeah so secondary school second so primary school was
okay because you’re allowed to be yourself in primary school more your personalities what’s
the word I’m looking for it’s encouraged it’s it’s it’s wanted they want and you know what it
is as well I think one of the key things that people take out of consideration when it comes to
primary school is because you’re always with the one teacher so you your relationship with that
teacher is built up over a period of time over it can be possibly years cuz some teachers will
go all the way through with with the children. So when you look at it, if you’re doing math’s,
you’re doing English, you’re doing history, you’re doing geography, you’re doing science,
it’s with that teacher, all all with the same teacher. Yeah. Yeah. Now when you get into
secondary, it’s different then. So So this is why I believe behaviors change because you’ve
gone from a nurturing place where the the teachers are bothered about you. You’re always in the same
classroom. Never changes around the same people. around the same people, around the same teacher
every single day. Their subjects change. Yeah. But everything that is a you can’t create a a better
environment for young kids to become who they are because it’s so safe. Yeah. Yeah. It’s so safe.
There’s zero worries, zero. However, when you get to primary school, when you get secondary school,
sorry, it all goes a bit mad because there’s no safety net there. Okay. So that being said, well,
let’s move on to secondary school. So for you now, so you moved to secondary school. Yeah. Your
brother and sister now in primary school. Yeah. But you’re secondary. Yeah. How’s how’s life now?
Went a bit mad. I’ve gone from the biggest guy in the school to a guy in the school. You’ve gone
from the big fish in the small pond to the little fish in the big pond now. Yeah. Yeah. But you know
what it is? You’re still a big guy. I’m guessing you’re still a big guy. I was still a big guy,
but I wasn’t around bigger people. I could look at people and they looked older than me. Yeah. Yeah.
You know what I’m saying? Like I still had Well, I had a baby face still. Like even though I
was physically big, I looked young. You could see that I was younger, just a big guy, you know?
And you grow up, you know, my dad weren’t around too much. So this is when how you act comes into
place like you need to start finding yourself now because it were very difficult for me because I
I I said earlier that my dad was half um Jamaican and half Nigerian. I’ve got my Nigerian name.
My surname is Olaseindo which is Nigeria Lagos I believe. I’ve never met another African family.
I only was grown up with my my grandma who was Jamaican. Okay. So when people when I’m when I’m
for for example if I’ve got to fill in a form at school talking about my identity I’m obviously
going to fill in well I’m mixed white British with Jamaican because that’s all I know. But then
when people say my last name they’re like oh what you faking it for? You’re just African blah blah
blah blah blah. So this is a conflict. I’m like it doesn’t matter. And you’ve got to understand like
them times now I’m 37 now. So maybe what is it 11 12 years ago? Is it or is it longer? No, it’s long
when you’re in secondary school. Yes. Yes. So when you in secondary school you’re 20 now. Oh yeah.
Be 20 years 20 years. Lord have mercy. 20 days a Jamaican year. So we’re talking Oh man. And it
would have been younger than that. So you’d have gone let’s just go 20. It would have been 20 25
years ago. Yeah. A long time. So I So it’s even a form I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t know. I
knew me. I knew Anthony. I Anthony. But all this other stuff. What makes me I didn’t know because
only my close friends would know my surname cuz I you don’t really know surnames when you unless
you get told off. Um so it were conflicting. Well, Jamaican, African, they’re both black. But when
I’m around African man, they cussing up Jamaican man. When I’m around Jamaican man, they cuss up
African man. And it wasn’t cool being African man. It wasn’t a cool thing. The cool thing was
Jamaican, was it? Yeah. So, back in the day, all you Africa, what the the kids with the big
bellies and the flies on them. That’s all people thought about Africans because of the what they
see on first um band-aid and stuff like that. See there? So, so I’m like, gee. So, that’s a
first thing. And then I I I couldn’t go to my dad because he he’s not met his dad like that.
Okay. So, all he knows is his Jamaican side just like me. Oh, right. Okay. So, it it was difficult
navigating. And then I couldn’t really look to my dad as a role model um because I didn’t I didn’t
like some of his life choices from a younger age. So naturally what you do as a if you seek a role
model you look around you if you’re from a council estate you know just all the bad people make
money around there and then if you look on TV the tourist bi with the Jesus piece that’s the first
thing I ever glorified like I bothered about cars I just want the Jesus chain that was it mob deep
um my mom should have I wish you’d have had a word with me and said like aunt like Look, this is just
music. It’s not a real life. They’re just talking about how they lived. They don’t live like that
anymore. Okay. But is that more of the Is that more of an effect because of what you know now?
No, she should know. I know that. I have to tell Mike he’s watching Mad Stuff on Yeah, that’s what
I’m saying. But is that because of what you know now? Maybe. But she should know. And so should my
dad. My dad would tell me not to do it. He won’t let me say the N word. He wouldn’t let me say
none of that. She tell me stop stop watching their rappers like they’re no good. But my mom never
did. I remember in primary school one time she got me a I think it were Beretta or 9 mm Beretta gold
earring and sent me to school. Yeah. I got some I had to take it out. Okay. So that was but yeah but
the moral of the story is is your mom should have known better and them kind of things. It a certain
lifestyle wasn’t it wasn’t it was glorified though was it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because she wanted her
son to look the best. She was happy that and not only that the kids are wearing the same similar
stuff that she’s seeing wearing that. So then her son and you know is there might have been certain
things that you’re asking for as well. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah. So secondary school
cuz there’s something you just said which I’m going to come back to cuz a couple of things you
said. There was one where you talked about primary school and you talked about your anxiety. Yeah.
Which you said you would then come back to later on and speak about. And then also what you spoke
about was role models from the counselor state. Yeah. So are we still in secondary school? Yeah.
Secondary school now. Okay. So we’re secondary school. We’re getting to the the the teetering
part where we’ve now come to year nine, aren’t we? Yeah. So we’re at the middle of the road.
You’re no longer the baby fisher there. Yeah. You’re getting to the higher excellence of school.
Yeah. So within the school now. Uh where does where does where are we now? Cuz I’m guessing you
got the Tupac, you’ve got the Big E, you got the Jesus chain. Is that after leaving school? That I
got the Jesus chain and after leaving school. So in school hip-hop was a big influence. I like to
rap and stuff. We had a group like a little crew. uh secondary school. It was sort of like like
the sports people, the cool people, the nerds, the we were just we I’d say like we were the
cool people. U predominantly black people in in our group one or two white people. Um yeah. Did
you get GCSEs? No. Yeah, I got one. You got one? Got one. Okay. Graphics. I got excluded while the
while the GCC’s were on. What did you get excluded for? Cuz I pushed the teacher. Okay. I don’t
Yo, it’s a bit mad. The teacher. So, I don’t know. Look. Okay. If I get age to do something,
I I’ll do it. I don’t want no I’m not I’m fully accountable. It just so happened that there was a
teacher there and I had a snowball. So I threw the snowball at the teacher. Like I thought it would
be funny. I didn’t I didn’t try and like you know when I said throw it. I mean I didn’t I didn’t
full on run up to the the teacher and blam it in his face. It was of just. It didn’t hit him. It
hit the floor. Anyway, he got upset. He tried to move me. He realized that he couldn’t move me.
I tried to move him back. I couldn’t move him. I got excluded. Right. Rightfully so. Rightfully
so. No, wrongly so. Wrongly socks. I never hate him. I never hate him. It went out of no malice.
Okay. And I think the fact that he tried to move me in front of everybody and he couldn’t move
me. I think that that’s what tipped it. Tipped it for him or tipped it for you? Tipped it for
him. Because I’m not I’ve I’m not trying to I’m trying to joke about I’m a kid. I’m trying to have
a laugh with my friends. I’m not trying to prove that I’m more manly than a teacher. Them thoughts
haven’t even entered my mind because I’m still very respectful because throughout all so I’m
guessing what you where you’re going with this is throughout the whole period of that is all about
fun all about Jess. It wasn’t yes never never that. Okay. So let’s talk about leaving school
then. So you’ve left school you’ve left with your one GCSE in Yeah. Do you go for a job? Do you
know how you know how I got it? So I went I went and bought all the stuff like a prepacked I made a
cafe. Yeah, that was sick that it was sick. I had all glass. Brought like you know the the wallpaper
brick brick wallpaper. Yeah, it was worth it. It was worth to see you know. Uh but yeah, that
was the only one I got unfortunately. Um so left school. What do I want to do? I wanted to
do music. I wanted to just do music, production, make it, whatever. That that’s where that’s where
it was. However, because I didn’t get no GCSEs, I had to redo my GCSEs in college. So, after
school, you go college. Yeah. Straight to college. Um, yeah, college it was just it was just college
was worse, man. It was worse for me because every everything that kept me safe were gone. There
was no they were like the land of the lawless there because the responsibility. See that’s the
thing with with like six form and college because the responsibility is back on you now. Yeah.
So you’ve got to get yourself up. You’ve got to make yourself make your way there. I mean the
responsibility is on you where you’re in between becoming an adult now and taking on responsibility
for yourself. Yeah. But I didn’t see it in that area. I didn’t see I didn’t see it as that. I saw
it as that absolute school. So yeah, went went to there, went to secondary school during this
part. It might have been. Yeah, I was living in a house with me, my brother, and my sister,
but my mom was never there. So my nana took my brother and my sister and left me there and I
made out like my mom was always at the house, but she didn’t. She left. So I was in the yard
by myself. So how old are you now? Um, it were back in uh primary school. No, no, not primary.
Secondary school. I say probably year nine, eight, year eight, nine. Quite young thinking about it.
Yeah. So, so in secondary school, year eight, year nine. Yeah. You’re all in the same house,
which is your mom’s house. Yeah. But your mom was never there. No. But then your nana comes and
takes your brother and sister. Yeah. And leaves you in the house alone. Yeah. But for all local
authorities and everybody else, your mom comes home. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Okay. Because I kept going
to school. Yeah. It’s back then. You didn’t have no teacher asking. Yeah. No, you didn’t. You
didn’t have No. No. But I I managed to keep I managed to keep my clothes clean, get new clothes,
it weren’t a problem. I always have food no matter what it was. If she did dip in whenever she might
leave me a couple of quid or bring some food quickly like and I would see it got to a stage
where I were like, I don’t think I can cope now. I I had to. So I remember it like yesterday. It
were like the stairs were here and there was a door frame on each side, you know, to go into a
room a room and then up into the attic. And I was sat on the stairs doing something and I’ve turned
to go to my bedroom and I hit my knee. I random I just hit my knee. All I can remember thinking is
a that hurt. I don’t know how long later I woke up like past that on my sister’s floor, but my
sister’s floor just had stuff all on the floor because she’d moved out. So, it was just stuff
that was left over. And then I woke up, I like, “Oh, what happened?” And then I thought, “Oh,
I I don’t think I can I don’t think I can keep doing this no more.” Because if I was to take
myself properly, knowing that no was here for a long time. So, I I like kind of talked to
my nan. And I said like, she’s like, “Yeah, come up and come up and live with with live with
me.” Um, my nana was white in a quite it was quite uh middle I think someone told me before it were
like in between middle class and high class area like a quite good area to live. U which I’m so
h I’m so happy that I got moved up there. I’m so happy. I kind of see I kind of see that as like a
little touchy little touchy for you there. Yeah, it mad because everything’s got you expect you
always your mother. You’re like Yeah, I get it. I I I understand what you’re saying where to be
in that predicament in year 8 n so you’re only like 14 15 to be living on your own but then
having to keep up the the the sense that your mom’s still there. Yeah. But then your brother and
sister have been taken away. Not taken to care but taken to Yeah. God with your nana. You know what
I mean? And I think, do you know what it is? It’s quite quite you’re quite responsible to have the
knowledge for yourself because most 14 15 year old would have been like, “Yeah, man. I’ve got
the yard to myself.” Whereas you’re then going, “Well, hold on a minute. How long can I actually
live like this?” I Yeah. I didn’t know what cuz I thought I what it is with me. I don’t think about
a lot of stuff until I have to think about it. So everything’s always okay until something comes to
my attention. Then I think about it and I think, “Wait a minute, this might not be the right thing
to do.” Yeah. And it went right. I shouldn’t have been there like that. But yeah, I did that
anyway. Carried on through school, went to live with my aunt, bless her cotton socks. Um,
the behaviors, like you said, got worsened. Why? Because there was more responsibility on me and
I wanted to be something special. You wanted to make it. Oh yeah. I want to be something special
in school. I want to be seen as a popular guy, which I I think I was to be fair. So, we’ve left
school. Left school. We’re in college. We’re in college. Yep. College is hard for you. College was
sick. Do you know what? Yeah, I remember this. So, obviously cuz I didn’t have much money. What
I used to do, I used to go to TK Maxx and buy a set of clothes and wear on them once and
then put the tag on the old on the old clothes and because I noticed that if you go to a normal
shop, each item has a barcode individual to that model. Like this t-shirt, TK Maxx like that. Every
single t-shirt had the same barcode. Yeah, because TK Maxx back in the day was returns, weren’t it?
Yeah. So, it was like returns, but they never had bar. They just have a price back in. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, it’s not fraudulent because the codes are from TK Maxx, one man. It was just
a psycho. I remember first three weeks of college, I wore a different outfit. I was like, “What the
hell’s wrong with you, man?” like you should have just focused on but are you but is that because
you’re trying to portray a certain image? Are you trying to portray like you’ve got money because
you just said you’ve not got money? I didn’t have money and I uh so I’d never I don’t it’s not me.
I think I’ve always be I’ve always had a strong sense of I am who I am and if I did not have
money so I wouldn’t act like I had money. I just liked to look nice with new things. That’s what I
liked. But would you do anything that What would it take for you? Was there ever a limit where
you go, “Well, I’m not doing that. I like that, but I’m not doing that to get it.” No, no. I I do
I No, I can’t say I can’t say I don’t do anything. I do I’d do whatever I could to get something, but
I found my hustle. So, I was good. I didn’t have to go above or beyond that. That was my hustle. I
like clothes. I found my little hustle. It worked for me. Okay. So, college. College. We’re in
college. Yeah. You’ve got your hustle. Got my little hustle on. Right. What are you pass? Do
you get to do your GCSEs? Do you get to sit them? You get to do them fail. So I got did computers
and m computers music math English failed music cuz it was like Beethoven not the not the digital
stuff you know what I mean like beat me I don’t what’s that song remember it man repeat
repeat repeat what’s this like anyway yeah failed that math English not a chance
computers did very Well, very well. Very, very good. Um, the teacher, I think the
teacher, the teacher understood me. I needed to keep active. I needed to be challenged.
I needed someone that I could ask for help if I needed it. And he understood that. Um,
so I did I did quite well in it. Okay. So, we’ve now left college. Yeah. First year of
college did fine. Second year I got kicked out. got kicked out. So what you what what happens now?
What happens now? I go to another college because I thought, you know what, I want to learn how to
make money. So like a fool, I went to college to do business. And that’s when I learned that
it’s a lot of writing and a lot less money. And and see this is the thing that messed me. I
think what what I I’d like people to understand is you know when we’re talking about safety nets
in education you see college as well is a very big one because it keeps you away from stuff. So
I got moved from one college and I went to another college and it just so happened the other college
when I got off the bus I walked past the pub where my cousin and his friends used to chill. Okay. So
obviously you know what you know the ultimatum I mean well do I go to college or do I go chill
with these men because these men but they were they they were what you wanted to be with their
chains and they’re active active okay I want to be a bit more like that then why am I why am I in
this class like like struggling struggling these times I didn’t know why I was struggling I just
struggled so them lot doing what they were doing were more appetizing at first my cousin. Um he’s
he’s two months older than me but he was in the year above us at at college. Okay. So he so he was
allowed to leave and do whatever he wanted to do whereas I had to go to college for that last year.
So it was that halfway through that year where I had to go where I sacked it off and I started
chilling with him. And at at first they were like you don’t need to be around here man go on. Go on.
Um, and then after a while we were just chilling, just chilling, chilling. And then so without
going into cuz that’s what one thing that we say with this channel. It’s not about glamorizing
anything whether people have been to prison XY Z or whatever they’ve done to get the money.
So let’s just say you get involved in illegal activities. Yeah. Okay. And you get your Jesus
piece. Yeah. Okay. So in within that time frame, is there ever a time where you’re arrested or
you get in serious trouble? Think the well the first time I got into serious trouble was at
secondary school when I knock I knocked a kid out because you know you were dread though again
you know like when I think back everything I’ve done is because I felt an injustice rather
than me proving a point. It was injustice. So the kid stole a phone from a guy sold me
the phone. The guy confronted that guy like, “Why have you took my phone?” And he told the
the guy that I I stole his phone. And because you’ve got the phone because I’ve got the phone
and I wouldn’t have stole the phone off the guy. I didn’t I didn’t steal. I I don’t like I don’t
I don’t I never like to do things to other people that could affect them. I don’t like I I never
like that. So that wasn’t my style. Well, again, when when you go back as well, you was always like
you said, you had a thing where why is somebody suffering? Why is somebody in a wheelchair? So
then why would you put someone through so far? I I wouldn’t I wouldn’t I wouldn’t. And obviously the
more I’m trying to tell the guy whose phone got it wasn’t me. The more it looks like it’s me. I said,
“You know what? I just made my mind.” I said, “Look, when I say I’m just going to I’m just going
to box him up.” Obviously, I didn’t realize how big I was and I I hit him. Obviously, the kid went
to hospital and stuff and then I got arrested in school and and that was I got arrested. Okay.
So, outside of school now, when you’re chilling with the boys, Yeah. Yeah, you’re making you’re
doing whatever 5 years later. Yes. You’re doing whatever you’re doing. So where are you arrested
again then? Is there any serious trouble? Are you involved? Does things come to you? So how can I
best put it? A lot of things are going on again cuz this is this is so I’m guessing this is the
time when you’ve got the whole S5 S3 thing going on. Is that right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Bit. So yeah. So it it was F3S4 that’s when Yeah. So yeah cuz again when we finished this I was away
with with with some of them. Okay. Um and one of them just he’s just got life again. The youngest
brothers just end up getting life not so long back. Uh but before that so that’s where you’ve
got like you so you kind of you’re kind of having to be on guard now aren’t you? Because that was
quite ri back there. A lot of people don’t know like these younger people won’t know about that it
split it split. So that was fractioned that stuff that that the pit small guy that were fractioned.
But at that time the group who I was chilling with had more issues with another postcode which
outweighed the other one because that really did when you look when you look back in time now
and you look back at that time in particular that really did bring postcode wars to the forefront
of mainstream news cuz there was a lot going on in Sheffield and what and that kind of brought
this whole it did bring it to the forefront of of national serious serious people. serious
serious people, you know, this this serious people about serious things happen and but again I had
the ability to distance myself from that cuz I was involved but I knew how to articulate myself
and they not obviously my if I’m with a group of man and they’re beef with another man my my
alliances are there I’ve got what can I do? Say, “Oh, I’m not with these man. If I’m with the
then that’s just what it is, isn’t it?” Yeah. But I always try to stay away from any trouble
that’s not mine. And and that’s something else that I feel strongly about. Like unless you know
what the person’s done to and it’s affected you directly. Do not get involved with it and be
the same throughout. Like don’t get me wrong, there’s times where stuff’s gone mad and it would
have been easy for me to jump in with these lot because that would have got me the upper hand. I
I didn’t I’m not I don’t I don’t like it. I didn’t like that. So, I’d rather just stand strong and
stand on my own. Okay. Then stand with a group of people and act like I’m strong, you know, because
at the end of the day, you know yourself when stuff goes really wrong. There’s only you there.
Yeah. There’s only you. The only person that can 100% be there. You know, you like to think,
“Yeah, this can’t be there. That can’t be there.” The reality is when you die, you’re on yourself.
Therefore, don’t don’t get into no trouble that you you’re not willing to to be on yourself with.
So, I often often on here we always talk about um turning points in people’s lives. Yeah. And
people have them. So, I’m guessing you again cuz we don’t I I try my best not to go into where
people can stem glamorizing from certain things. Yeah. So for me I’m saying you’re around the post
code era or the postcode wars era. Yeah. Yeah. Just after I said oh just after. So within that
time there has to be a time where you go nah I’m done like I need out. So what happens to leading
up to the stage where you go listen I have to I need to change my life around. This is like either
I might end up here or I might end up there. Like so what leads up to that and then what is that
turning point? I think I don’t know what I think it was. I think it was people died like close
friends. Yeah. Yeah. People died. Um obviously at the time I w I weren’t not that I wasn’t I
was bothered because I can’t say that I’m not bothered. It didn’t affect me because again you
brought into his lifestyle. It happens, you know. It’s part of the life. It’s part of the lifestyle.
But bearing in mind, when I were, I think 15 or 16, that’s when I finished seeing someone get
killed at a fair. He got stabbed to death, the guy. But that didn’t bother me. No, it did bother
me. Sorry. It didn’t impact me. It was no emotion there. Yeah. you know, so certain scenarios
happened where people died and I I thought that there’d be more retaliation. Okay. You know
what I mean? Like eye for an eye kind of thing. And then we with group with luckily we’ve group
said so obviously some of my friends died the people I know died but I noticed this with other
groups people people died and nothing happened and I was just thinking what I don’t understand
the point in this there’s no that that just absolutely makes the point because if if I was
to get into trouble over a a friend who I make money with and I and and I get killed, what are
people going to do? What? Just take my share in the money and carry on and not get somebody back
for me. But then, did I want someone to get hurt because they did something to me? It’s a bit
like soldiers at war. You’ve got two soldiers. You’ve got soldiers killing each other. They don’t
really know what it’s for just because they think they have to do it because Yeah. You don’t you
don’t. So, that was one thing that didn’t settle well. Like if it goes terribly wrong and I get
killed, nobody’s gonna do it’s highly unlikely that someone will do something back and would I
want them to because it might, you know, have that effect. And then obviously next to that, I don’t
know about yourself, but your family life and your we’ll call it your badness life or your bad life.
They never come together. They always mine always run next to each other. Okay. It never got into
none of that got TW. It never got No, no, no, no, no. It was that was my life doing that my personal
life and my life on on the road, let’s just say. Um, but obviously the life on the road impacting
my private life. So, for example, I like chains. I think a turning point was when I went and picked
my son up from nursery. I had chains on my thought Mr. T or something. And then the parents and that
just normal people. Also, what do you do for a living? I felt like a [ __ ] man. I I felt like
an absolute a I don’t know if swear, but that’s I felt this big. I was the biggest person there.
I had gold around my neck where people’s cars, you know, and I felt like I was the most worthless
person ever because I couldn’t tell people what I did for money, which is a simple question. It it
it teared me up. And then I think about my son like you can’t be proud of me like this man. You
can’t I want to be I want to be somebody that you can be proud of and while I’m doing this what what
I can get you I can buy you jewelry like mine. I can get you expensive clothes. I might be able
to get you a car but it’s not good money. It’s not positive. And I’m a strong believer of if if
something’s bad it’s bad. You can’t turn something bad good. And I think it was that whole I wanted
to I wanted to be like the best person in my son’s life. I want my son to be like, “Yeah, this is
my dad.” And I want and I want him to be so proud of me. Like I wanted to be my dad, but but I just
wasn’t like when I was younger. I was because you don’t see how things work and how you look like
that. Obviously, as I got older, I saw how he was how he was back then and I didn’t relate it.
So yeah. And you didn’t want to be that person. I didn’t want to be that person. Like, no disrespect
to my dad. Obviously, you do what you’re doing. He did the best job he could in the position that he
was in. However, I knew I knew what I didn’t want to be like then. Yeah. I was just like, okay, so
you’ve got your turning point where you’re seeing close friends die. You’re also questioning, well,
what if that happens to me? What are people going to do on my behalf? Yeah. And and you know what
is I understand that exactly because when you’re living a certain lifestyle, you would willingly
put your life on the line for that man stood next to you. Yeah. But then you’ve got to go, but is
he going to do that for me? And if I go and I’m witnessing these other people doing the exact same
things with the same thought process that I’ve got and that’s not happening when he’s gone. And then
obviously you’ve got your son, you’re picking him up from nursery. Yeah. So that’s your that’s your
it’s not a breaking point, but it’s a turning point. Yeah. Yeah. I did. And and with the road
stuff, there’s no loyalty. I pick that up real quick. There’s no loyalty I don’t care. It It’s
a trap. It’s a trap. They believe they give It’s like they give you a list of rules that you can
follow so they can manipulate you. But luckily, I was I was I could always say, “No, if I don’t
want to do something, if I don’t want to do it, I’m Yeah. Not doing it. I get Listen, 100%.
Not doing it.” Yeah. I get that one. Like, so I was a bit difficult. I was difficult. But
you got to understand even the olders, I’m the biggest man. I’m the biggest. If I’m saying no,
I’m saying no. So obviously when I could have got closer to certain people and and made a bit
more money, they’d rather not because they can get this little guy that’s going to do things for
me. Okay. So we’ve re you’ve got the realization that you want to change your life. Yeah. So how
do you take that step? What how do you get there? So the re it’s it was it was long. Um my first
initial one was um allowing the road stuff taking our back seat but still operations can still run
through me. Um which I did did for quite a while. Um and then I was just like it’s still the same
thing. It’s still the same even though I’m not on the front liners per se. bad stuff still
going on. And you can still see it. He can He couldn’t see it. He could have seen it if he was
older, but he was he was he was young. Yeah. And then I was I’ve had it. I’ve had enough. I’ve had
it. I don’t know what it was. The moment I said, “I am done. I am done. Done. Done.” Locked off my
phone, vanished. You couldn’t see me for I don’t know how many people didn’t see before. Okay.
Stop partying because it was no good. It’s not good what we’re doing. We’re making We’re risking
our lives for a week to spend it on the weekend. Why am I broke on Monday again? Yeah. And going
through the whole process again for the weekend. They There must be something more to what’s going
on. Someone’s lying to me somewhere because out of the bubble there’s all these other hundreds
of thousands of people that are living a totally different life. What What am I missing? What don’t
I know? Yeah. Do you know what it do? You know, a lot of people never realize or get the answer
to that question though because sometimes people don’t not sometimes but a lot of people don’t
know where to look. You don’t know where to look. You’re not sure. You don’t know when you know
where it is. You don’t know how to articulate yourself. You don’t know how to mix in these
circles which luckily back to my nan bless us all. She taught me how to be professional. I said
to my nan obviously say my Jamaican nan anytime she talked to someone pa there was no forward
voice no polite voice no no no angry voice it was just like the same constantly but my nan had
what we call a a for voice so she talked to us a certain way they seem like oh hello how you doing
yeah okay just you know and I’d be like why do you talk like that and she said because there are
some people that like understand you when you talk like that. So, you have to talk to them
how they understand cuz it’s easier for you to communicate. And I was like, “Okay, okay.” And
then that’s how I realized that, wait a minute, I’ve got some tools in my belt here to to enable
me to to operate and move around in a totally different environment. So, this is going to bring
us on to to you and the work that you do. Yeah. So when does that start? When me and the work So
because I’m I’m before you go into it, I’m I’m going to I’m going to praise you for the work that
you’ve done. Okay. And there’s little things cuz obviously I know little things about you through
through like the LinkedIn thing and stuff like that. So there’ll be bits that I pull out like but
I just want to know how what what is that? When do you start and when and then when do you form
the charity as well? Uh, it started it started when I can’t tell you when it started, but it
was a feeling. And the feeling was when I’m in the position to stop people from making mistakes
they didn’t have to make. I’m going to do it. That’s that’s what the feeling I had. And that
was There’s always an alternative, isn’t there? No, that was that was I went to what happened?
So, I went I I behaved went to uni, got a degree in computers, got a master’s in computers. While
I was doing my masters, a lot of knife crime in Sheffield. Yeah. Keep Sheffield stainless. Anti
knife crime campaign. This is how I can pay people back because it’s called the steel city as well.
Steel city. Keep Sheffield stainless. Absolutely wonderful. Why Sheffield? I still know people
that are active. Yeah. I’m asking them why is why is this why is this kid getting stabbed up? We
don’t know. He’s nothing to do with man. So you’re telling me you’ve got we’ve got a whole heap
of kids here that are just worried and they’re carrying knife because they think it’s the way
forward. Yeah. I said okay then because back back then I was of a belief that I don’t I don’t have
it in me. I don’t have the resources to convince somebody that’s actively in a gang to deter them
away from that lifestyle. But what I can do is I can educate people that aren’t the wiser on
certain things. Yeah, I get it. So that’s why Keep Sheffield Stainless came about. Okay. So then
where does Always an Alternative come in? Well, so keep Sheffield stainless. Uh first first ever
portable weapon amnesty bin. When I say portable, the issue was I want this a weapon amnesty
business. Obviously to give again to give people an option. I’m not saying it’s going
to solve that crime. Nothing will get solved without any options. Give somebody an option.
Chat to the council. Go t planning insurance. Do you know what? I know what I’ll do. I’ll get
it designed to have wheels on it, brackets on the back, and a chain. So, it’s not It’s portable.
It’s not fixed. You can’t I You can’t charge me ground rent. Something that’s not fixed.
Otherwise, you’d have to charge people that park up their bike. Do you know what I’m saying? Okay.
Got away with it. Chained it up. The first one, I got loads and loads and loads. So, that was a
good thing. Then, we were talking about workshops going into schools. these times, night crime, co
times. Yeah. Because I become like a bit of um like the guy for knife crank. So what I was doing
went on TV and that obviously anything knife crime related came to me. The bad side of that is videos
and stabbings, people getting killed, mash me up, secondary trauma k I went my I went I was on
the I just my whole personality changed. I was just snapping with people. I was always angry. I
always thought people had knives on him. I thought people trying to kill me. So I’m like, “Yo, do I
need do I need to get a a gun?” Cuz I thought I’m not got no I’m a big man. I can’t run. If this
man behind me with this long cos got a knife, I’m going to have to shoot him because I can’t
be getting into a knife fight. Like I don’t want to die. That was a big thought on my mind. I’
I’d sleep dream not dream nightmares about it all the time. Like I honestly thought like
any any confrontation I’d have with someone, they were going to stab me up. And then I had a
friend with u Joe. I’ve got a business with her and I were talking to her about stuff and she
said like, “Look, what you’re doing is good, but it’s affecting you. You need to you need to
look at how you’re doing things differently. Is there anything that you’ve noticed while you’ve
been doing these workshops?” I said, “Yeah, I’ve went in there talking everything about knives, but
the knife isn’t the issue. The knife is just an object. It’s the person that’s the issue.” Then we
started talking about mindsets and mentalities and then that’s it. Like surely there’s another way.
I going to call it diverted root, but there was a guy I think it might be Birmingham who’s got one
name similar. He didn’t do the work that I did, but it was a clothing brand and he sent
he sent me a a jumper. Bless him. So, I couldn’t call it that. And then I went to see my
nan, you know, that I who I live with. Obviously, I didn’t live there then. And then I said like I’m
thinking about like I I want I want to tell people that there’s another way that there’s another
path and then we just come up with like there’s always an alternative and then we shut it down to
always an alternative. Oh yeah. So you went from stainless from keeps I feel stainless and then
this is where it starts playing with your mind. Yeah. And Yeah. And because when I first when I
first get on to you, I’m another organization. Um, and I see you, you’re out collecting weapons
as well. Yeah. Yeah. So, you’ve got the you’ve got the the the car, you’ve got your thing in the
boot, you’ve got your star proof vest, XY Z. So, that when I first see you, you’re doing that
and then I see you again and then you’ve got the you’ve got the knife crime bins. Yeah. Yeah.
You But you’ve got them potted about Sheffield now. Yeah. So I see that bit and then I then
start seeing little things then you then you do um I don’t know which comes first but I don’t know
whether you do a where you donate the weapons to make um we made it. Yeah we got the sculpture
made. You made this you made the sculpture made. That was before the knife angel as well wasn’t
it? Or was it after? After. Right. So you make a sculpture. So I know you do the sculpture
thing. Yeah. But then you do which which now listening to your story and go you wrote a book.
Yeah, I wrote a book. So why did I write a book? Growing up in school I said I find it hard in
it. You’re asking me to read. I don’t get what you’re asking me. I when I was at university I
got diagnosed with dyslexia. It all made sense now. Yeah. I’m not a bad boy like the teachers
are trying to make me out to be. You just learned different. I just learned different. So the
first year at university I I got good grades. I finished with a first to be fair. But the first
year I just said, you know what I need to do? I need to teach myself how to learn. This is what I
need to that works for me. So my way of learning is podcast definitely because I need to hear
different things. I need to videos because I like to see stuff and then I’ll like repeat them
and it’s minimal reading. If I don’t have to read, I won’t read because for me, so I’ve been wanting
to read a book since New Year. I can’t. It takes like I’ve got to like proper be like, “Come on,
you can do it. Come on, you can do it. Come on, you can do it.” If I don’t need to read a
book, I’m not going to read a book. Right. So, are you getting charged rental spaces for your
for your for your bins now? No, because so how did that come about? as well because well as a
council host hostility I don’t get why it’s an idea this time it’s an idea just hostile I’m okay
do you know what right I maneuver I can navigate wherever there’s a world there’s a way so what do
I do put it on wheels like I said then okay then yeah but it’s still on council property I just
talk to people that rent their property privately so it’s not up to the council what goes on their
property so that’s where they are ah so you’ve got it privately owned property, but somebody can go
there or parents or carers that find these kind of weapons, they can put them in there. I mean,
that’s Are you still going out collecting? Oh, I So, you’re still going out collecting as well?
Yeah. Which is I don’t I don’t don’t do that. Okay. Then you start a project up only recently. I
think it’s been going about 18 months. Well, which one? The mobile mobile youth club. Yeah, tell
us about the im mobile. That’s my baby, man. So, co taught me one thing, right? You’ve got to be
mobile. If you’re static, you get comfy. Anything happens, drama. And then we started a youth club
and I think to myself like I do talks in youth clubs and obviously I do the talks you know and
I like to think I educate the young people that are there which I’m sure I do but those are the
kind of people that I want to reach. They’re not in these youth clubs. They’re not there. Where
are they? They’re in the community. They’re in the ends. How do I get a youth club to them? Point
on wheels. Light my weapons beans. There you go. We got the what? For ages. I I was I was pushing
this idea. Everyone was telling me it was wonderful. We can get funding from here. We can
get funding for there. It’s going to be absolutely brilliant. I’ve already said I’m going to do it.
Like one thing with me, if I tell you I’m doing something, you’ve got a choice. If I approach you,
either you get on board and you be involved and it happens together or you watch you be successful.
You watch me do it. That’s it. Made that. I’ve made that clear time and time throughout every
project. So yeah, um we did that the van. Um I were looking for funding because it would crunch
time now. I’m asking people links link. Everybody just went quiet. This is why I stopped talking to
a lot of people because I’m like you know what I don’t I don’t need to kiss my ass if you’re not
going to kiss my ass. Like it don’t make no sense to me. Don’t tell me something to make me happy.
Tell show me that you want me to be happy. Yeah. He didn’t do it. So anyway, we got the van, 20
grand. I was like, Jesus, I didn’t even realize vans was this much. But it was the biggest
one, split into half. Um um Coach who helps quite a lot. Um he he’s got a bit of sort of he’s
like the DJing side of it, is it? Yeah. So coach helps quite a lot with DIY stuff. So bearing in
mind before that van, I could probably lay down your laminate flooring for you. It look all right,
you know. a couple of bits might move, you know, you know, the be design might pop up a bit, but it
looks solid. So, I was an experience man. And then like look, watching YouTube videos like actually
cutting the wood and and and the nails and being hands-on. I learned so much. It’s the electrics
as well. Yeah. But luckily, we got that done. So, there’s a company called Richards and Sons wired
it up for us. We bought the stuff. They wired it up. Fielding and Grove, I think the company is
called, bought all the wood for us. Like, these are people that I’ve noticed now that invested in
me cuz they knew that I would come forward. So, yeah. Um, the electrics got done. We did it.
I had to It was a It took absolutely ages, man. I nearly brought my back, bent over, cutting
that wood, painting it. We did it. And you are you are going into every area of Sheffield as well,
do you know? So we went there’s an area called WB lowass area. They’ve they’ve got um because of
how the area is and there’s no not much for kids to do. There’s low employment. They’ve they’ve
created a pilot trying to engage people and part of that pilot is young people. So they did what
they should have done. Who do you go to? You go to somebody that knows what they’re doing. So
luckily in our case it was us. We’ve been up there. We we were first up there for six week.
We had like almost 70 kids come. 70 kids for two hours. So what have you got in this van? So it’s
split in half. Half of it’s got um like DJ decks, um speakers, mics, headphones, you know, the whole
lot. But then that’s also got uh video uh editing software, so they can edit photos and um videos.
Then the other side has got a PS5 with a uh yeah, big flat screen TV. Then we’ve got we carry a bag
full of sport equipment, football, basketball, uh babbling, frisbees, hula hoops, that kind of
stuff. And then we’ve got tables and uh chairs for arts and crafts stuff. So when you look at it,
you’re like, so obviously when we was growing, we had a lot of um places where you could community
um clubs, you know what I mean? Youth clubs, but you’re just a mobile youth club out here.
That’s what it is. Mobile youth club, NYC. That’s what it is. And that’s your proudest. I’m so proud
and I don’t feel proud of much stuff. I don’t understand it. I just want to do something better.
But I think because I said it and a lot of people were like, “Yeah, this guy’s chatting rubbish.”
And the amount like people high up in the council told me not to. It got that bad. They were like,
“Don’t bother. We’ve got him and they don’t work.” So I said, “Well, if you’ve got one, before I buy
mine, let me rent one of yours and then I can see if it’s worth it for me before I spend all this
money.” Oh, no, no, we can’t do that. So I said, “All right, then call. It’s not going to work.”
Cuz I remember how we first had our conversation. I think it was it was all about like bids and
stuff like that. Yeah. And then I was saying to all, “Look, have you tried doing this? Look
into this, looking.” Yeah, it went um what did you what this was traveled Yeah. And what was the
other thing? Yeah. It was Yeah. distance travels. Yeah. So it was showing Yeah. It was showing you
how you’re traveling when you’re working with a young person. Yeah. Yeah. So we’ve primary school,
secondary, we’re now always an alternative. Yeah. Um and obviously you’re helping young people.
You’re still going into schools as well. Yeah. Yeah. Still schools. So you’re working in the
community, working in schools. You’ve written a book. Yeah. Um you still got your amnesty boxes.
Yeah. We went we went with the council now. Well, not the council, the violence reduction
unit it’s called. Yeah. We’ve got 12 of them total now. Okay. So, you got 12 bins across
across Sheffield. Yeah. South Yorkshire. Oh, right. To go in. Wow. They’re busy. That’s good.
That is good. So, where is life for you now? Where’s life? I mean, life’s all right, man. I
can’t complain. Um we we’ve got we’ve got nearly 100 grand in the bank always an alternative which
is absolutely beautiful. So we can do certain projects that um that were not ring fenced. So
it allows that freedom that flexibility to to do concepts and projects that are really out the
box. But because it’s our money that we’ve saved, we can do it. So I’m I’m happy with that. Um
life-wise I’m I’m good, man. Businesses are working. So, I’ve got money coming in. So, I’m
getting a bit bored though with always stuff now. Okay. So, that being said, if you could go back
Yeah. in time, yeah, two-part question. Would you change anything? And if you did, what would
you change? I would change nothing. I’ I’d tell myself, you’re all right. Like, you’re all right.
You’re going to come good in the end. Not even you’re going to come you will be you everything’s
g like you’re going to be all right don’t worry just you’ll be all right that’s all like that you
know just that like that talk like cuz that met my mind rest quite a bit yeah because you talk about
the anxiety the anxiety so you have been like listen calm down it’s going to be okay it’s going
to be fine which I said I’d get back to which was I got diagnosed with uh ADHD and they said that
I need to get diagnosed for autism as well. Uh, which makes sense. It all makes sense now,
you know. Um, the only reason why I don’t talk I’ve never talked about this. It’s the first
time I’ve talked to I don’t tell people cuz, you know, it’s me and I’ve overcome it. It’s not
made that much of a difference. But if I was if somebody else thinks that like I won’t take the
drugs. I’m not bothered about the drugs. I just need to I just need peace of mind. That’s all I
need with certain things. I’m not just weird. I’m not I’ve not got something wrong. You’ve got the
answer. Yeah, I’ve got the answer. So, from when that happened, a lot of things made sense and
you know, but with being having those things, I’m very chalk and cheese. So, you know, if you’re
a cool person and you can and you like challenge and you open up to look at things in a different
way, I’m your kind of person. But if you’re very close-minded and you don’t want to, I’m not I’m
not the person for you. You know what I’m saying? Probably that’s why we do get Yeah. I will not
people really dislike me. And you know what? It is what it is. I’m not trying to be nobody’s friend.
I’m just trying to I’m just trying. Your focus is not on the individual though. Your focus is in
within the community. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I’m just trying to help people. I’ll do what I can try and
help as many people as possible. But with that you everything’s balanced like this is why I like this
logo cuz that that is me like a weighing scale like everything has to be balanced on one hand I
want to help everybody but on the other hand is it my responsibility okay that’ll that’ll kill any
person that wants to help somebody because you’ll do all you can but at some stage you’ve got to
realize okay then you’re helping all these people and it’s not your responsibility to it boils down
to somebody else. So you need to make other people accountable to bring them back up to bring it
back up and balancing it. And I’ve in this work it’s never been a balancing act. It’s always me
doing all I can and all these people that are getting held that should be held accountable whose
responsibility is doing nothing. And I’m at the stage now where we talked about earlier we’re at
the bottom. We make the real difference. You know, we take us away and not many people get helped.
We I think you’re headed your you’re headed you’ve been about a lot longer than what I have. You know
what I mean? You you’ve you’ve managed people. So you’re above me. So when you reach that hour
grateful at first I were like what’s my man want? Like Yeah. Yeah. What you’ve got to understand has
even give me a one piece of advice just you. So when you come Well, my man’s got titles. I was not
right. My man sounds like he’s What do you want from me? I got a bit like obviously. Yeah. From
from back when I was up to madness, it were people that were like me that were my enemy. So when
this happened now, I obviously I weren’t like, “Oh no, [ __ ] I just thought I was a bit like
I didn’t understand why, you know.” But anyway, back to it. So there’s you I see you above me and
then when we get to look above you no man’s land no man Yeah. No listen I 100% agree where you’re
going. What do we do though? Yeah. Do we There’s no There’s no one above us. We could talk for
years. It’s like a glass ceiling in it. But what what what do we do? What do we do to get
above what? There must there must be something. what we whether we have to get into politics,
whether we have to maneuver stop the ground work as much and focus on getting higher up the tree,
something must come up. Otherwise, in 20 years, there’s going to be another me and another you sat
down here busting our asses off and they’re still in the magazine position and still and still
talking about the same same thing. That’s what that’s where my focus is going now. I need to get
up there somehow. Okay, last question from me and then obviously you get your question. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. So my last question is is society as a whole now. Yeah. And obviously taking everything into
account whether it be poverty, whether it be the community, whether it be the struggles. Yeah. Um
financially um the eco um society that we have as well. What do you what advice can you give to the
younger generation or what advice would you give? the It’s an hard one that one because if it
was more like the younger people of my time, I’d have the advice because I’ve lived it. Um, for them, you know, I think that I’d say I’d
say they’ve treated the very different. I’d say know yourself, know who you are and not
your identity online. That’s what I’d tell them. Is it not everything’s true what you
see online and don’t fall victim to it. Well, time for your question now, sir. My question is why why did you reach out to her?
Why did you offer guidance? Um, so that was we just come out of CO, haven’t we?
Did we just come out of CO then? If it were a the weapons been one. Yeah. Yeah. And the collections
and stuff. Yeah. So we just come out of CO and you know what? I could see the work that you was
doing and it was all it was always you was always an alternative and you know when you look and you
go right this one person this one individual is doing this this this and this I wonder if he’s
got basically if he’s got all his ducks in a row. Yeah. And for me, funny enough, I had a
conversation with with with somebody today and they kept saying, “Why did you just give why did
you give them that idea when you could have kept the idea for yourself?” Because the simple fact
for me is if you don’t use the idea and come a year’s time, I will do it because I would
have seen the advice that I’ve given you, you not taken it. Yeah. Whereas if you would
have come with the attitude like like you said what you was thinking and said, “Yo, listen
blah blah blah.” I’d have been listen cool no problem. Yeah. And if you remember at the time
what I did say to you as well, I said, “Listen, we I’m not um I think I said somewhere along
the lines of I’m not competition for you cuz you can smash and lock Sheffield off and lock.”
So here’s this. Here’s this information. Here’s this. I’ve got this for you. Take it,
run with it, do what you want. And also, I think I said uh if you’re ever doing like a
a talk where you’re getting people together, I’ll come down. I’ll talk for you for free.
Give me a shot. I’ll come down and talk for you for free. And you know what it is? It was
just because I saw you. I saw your work ethic. And bearing in mind, I only saw your work ethic
through a I mean through LinkedIn. You could call it a social media platform, but that’s what I saw.
And I just thought, do you know what it is? This guy needs not it’s not about help and it’s not
about guidance. It’s just about to say, listen, do you have this, this, and this? If you don’t,
here you are. because it helps you long term, don’t it? Yeah, that’s good. So, yeah, that that
was all it was. That was good, man. It’s a good way of looking at it. And I think a lot of people
should look at things like that because if you can help a person based on the information that I’ve
given you, then we’ve both been successful. Yeah, I agree. Yeah. A lot of people don’t have that
mindset. I think my how I think of it is you’re put on earth for what what 80 years a borrowed
life. It must be the best thing you can give to someone must be education. For me it’s helping
someone knowledge isn’t it? Yeah. Cuz I think one of the things that for us and you have had
it you speaking to these young people and they might be 13 14 15 and then before you know it you
hear and go oh yeah my man’s gone to jail. Yeah. he goes to jail and he comes back out, he might
go to jail again. Yeah. But then when he gets to like 25 or he gets to 28 or something like that,
there’s going to be that one time when he goes, “Yo, that thing that Anthony told me, you know,
he was right.” Yeah. That’s the time when you’ve been successful with, but you’ve never seen. So
for me, my advice is listen, you might not be ready to change. However, all I’m saying to you is
is keep this knowledge there. Yeah. Because when the time comes and you’re ready, you already have
that knowledge there. You don’t have to start from you don’t have to start from square one. Yeah.
You starting ahead because you’ve already got the knowledge of what you’ve been taught and what
you’ve been learned and what’s been told to you. Yeah, that’s true. But Anthony, listen. Thank you
very much. We got no question. Right. Go on then. So what what it wasn’t. So this makes you special
now. You get two questions. No, because I should have asked this one before, but I never did. But
so this is you now. What made you take take that dive? What made you go for it? Cuz I’m sure you’ll
have thought about it for a long time before. You know what it is? Is because there’s always an
argument of um early intervention and prevention. Yeah. And people are always talking about early
intervention and prevention is year seven, year eight, year nine, which is secondary school. And
I just don’t believe that. I can’t live with that pres that I I just don’t believe it because by
the time you get to secondary school, most things, attitude, the way you look at things, the way the
people you look up to, the music you listen to, what you wear, how you dress, how you talk,
everything is already there. The only difference is is when you get into secondary school, you have
to suppress it a little bit because there’s elders there. Yeah. Yeah. But that is really you. It’s
already there. Yeah. My argument to that is early intervention starts in primary school and that’s
year five, year six. Yeah. There’s an argument for year four. Was there an argument for year
four? However, year five, year six and that was the biggest drive for me was to do the early
intervention work. And yeah, we do secondary work of course we work with professionals but primarily
primary school is like where you where that makes sense like we were saying that’s where they safe
that’s where you go into their safe space they’ll take it on board a lot more and again if you if
you can get the knowledge inside their heads by the time they get to secondary school they will be
able to identify if certain things are happening to them where they can then turn around and go no
no thank you. Yeah. Yeah. I think the difficulties with primary schools is they they want they
they get scared of certain. So for example, if n crime were a thing, um they get scared of
that. They’re too young to know about knife crime. But I think they take it away from professionals
like us because we could go into a school, do a hourong presentation on knife crime and not
mention night crime once. Yeah. But you see like primary school you would base it on weapons. So
it’ be weapons awareness. It would have been knife crime. It’ be weapons aware. However, the same
way if not that I’m slagging off any school, I wouldn’t want to do that. But if you look at kids
now, especially through social media that are 9, 10, 11, they’re way too young for social media. I
go in schools and these kids are telling me they got 10,000 followers, 15,000 followers, 20,000
followers. I meet hundreds of people literally every single day. Yeah. I don’t know any of
them. Yeah. These kids are on social media and you have to understand about these young
kids being groomed through social media now. Okay. Just just mad. So yeah, for us we do a lot
of work in secondary schools, but for us the the biggest drive was early intervention. Early
intervention and it’s not 7, 8, and 9. Yeah, it’s primary. I agree with that. It’s primary
school 100%. Um, so yeah, that was it. That’s good. And you’re not getting no more questions.
You just sneak two in there. No, but I needed a second one because it’s is that it’s good to know
like why you and your you know your driving force behind it because even though with everybody
well people have the same goal the driving force behind the goal different I think that’s
why it’s so unique to work in collaboration. Yeah definitely. Well yeah man well Anthony thank you
for the drive up and thank you for the interview. It was mean a pleasure. Yeah it’s been on it man.
Thank you very much man. Oh yes. Yeah, man. Good.