A FORMER homeless Wrexham man who has turned his life around has shared his story.

Just three years ago, Jonny was in jail and then found himself out on the streets of Wrexham sleeping rough.

But he now has a house and a job which gives him a sense of purpose - and he says he feels he is the wealthiest person alive.

On Monday (January 31) Jonny Owen addressed a group of passionate and inspirational leaders, including former COO of Dyson, at a conference in London entitled: ‘Wealth: Exploring a New Paradigm’.

It was organised by the Nomadic School of Business to explore ideas for leaders and change the way we think about wellbeing, inner wealth and self-worth.

It people from a wide variety of backgrounds, such as education, consultancy, personal growth, coaching, leadership development, recruitment and travel discuss innovative methodologies that enable individuals and organizations to unlock, unleash and appreciate their wellbeing, inner wealth and self-worth.

Jonny spoke at length about how Yellow and Blue and the 6x6 programme for temporary housed people have helped change his life.

The Yellow and Blue Hub is making a huge difference to the lives of vulnerable in Wrexham.

The Leader: Jonny and Pat Davies, from Yellow and Blue.Jonny and Pat Davies, from Yellow and Blue.

It aims to help anyone struggling, facing short- or long-term hardship, illness and disability - and has been able to expand recently, thanks to a grant made possible by National Lottery players.

Further partnerships have been developed and they’ve extended services and support for the community, particularly in mental health and wellbeing. Jonny is one of the many local people who has made the most of this service and is a valuable volunteer at the hub.

Jonny is extremely grateful to Pete Humphreys, founder of Yellow and Blue, for his support and shared this heartfelt message with him over the Christmas period: “Thank

you for this year. It’s been a long time since I felt this good at Christmas. That’s down to you and Yellow and Blue, giving me somewhere to go and something to do.

You’ve really helped me get my life back on track. Thanks for giving me a chance - you’ve got my respect hands down, mate.”

Pete Humphreys is over the moon that Jonny has had the opportunity to inspire even more people at the conference.

He said: “The National Lottery believed in me with my proposal for the 6x6 programme - where we have helped and tracked the progress of six people for six months as an initial pilot scheme in Wrexham.

The importance and huge success of this group is that they have now entered a time where they become community ambassadors with lived experience - we can clearly see the benefit of the programme to them.

"We are hugely thankful to National Lottery players for helping us do this. It’s truly by the community for the community - to see these people then link to national figures within the speaker community is amazing and testament to their hard work, dedication and resilience in overcoming what they have been through, which could happen to any of us.”

Inge Deane, North Wales Funding Manager at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: "We know how valued Yellow and Blue’s work is in the Wrexham area and they really do change people’s lives for the better, as Jonny’s story shows.”