I am so excited to have been asked to be involved with the Clean & Tidy Home Show, as a person who is living with an overwhelming collection aka overwhelming hoard.
This knowledge is shared from my own experience of 30 years or so - it is not just about clearing a hoard or cleaning a property, these are both important, it is also about decluttering and clearing the Mind and finding out the 'WHY'.
My journey began when I attended a Hoarding Support Group run by a local charity, Mary Francis Trust, for about 2 years. I can never thank my local GP enough for having this knowledge and sharing it with me - my 'road of recovery' could begin but only after my 'road of recognition' had begun. I speak really openly about hoarding disorder/behaviour, to share my knowledge and experience to hopefully help others to know that where there is hope, and a desire to change, there is help.
I appeared in an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive for Channel 5, produced by Crackit Productions. I was one of the first people to 'speak up and speak out' about the effects of hoarding disorder/behaviour. They did not clear/clean my house as that's not the single answer, there is normally much more to think about and discuss. I want more people to understand the 'condition' is not a lifestyle choice, there is often a reason WHY and this needs to be addressed, like most life coping mechanisms/addictions, although a hoard is very visible and can be very overwhelming.
I am very much about 'regaining my sparkle' and being on my journey out of the darkness, struggling with mental health, depression and sadness and now moving forward in my life and I want to share my knowledge, to create more awareness and help others.
