Jan Ward
"The year I was 21 was when I took my first proper full time job. I had been separated from the man I had married at sixteen for 2 years by then. When I first left I had to sleep rough or on friends couches for a couple of weeks. A good friend at the time, who eventually became my partner of 23 years, found me a place to stay in return for housekeeping and cooking. I held down several part time jobs at once until the penny dropped that it would never allow me to have a place of my own. So I took some qualifications under a government funded scheme. Finally getting those qualifications allowed me to get that first full time job. The most significant thing about the job was that it meant I could have my son living with me, who I had to leave with his father when I left because I had nowhere to live. I stayed with that company for 10 years and they gave a great grounding in the industry that I am still in. That job changed everything for me. So my 21st was a good year.
This year had a significant 21st birthday for me too. My youngest son died 6 years ago when he was 15 . He would have been 21 in May this year. It was pretty spooky being asked out of the blue to write about when I was 21! I am certain his 21st year would have been very different from mine. My prediction is that he would have been volunteering somewhere remote, and avoiding coming back for Uni and maybe never get a degree. So maybe his 21st year would have been one of change and a good year too."
