Teaching practical life skills

Justin Kelly StB’92 left Worth in 1992 and after motorcycling around India and Nepal went to Bristol University to read Theology. After graduating with a 2:1 he did the law conversion course and qualified as a solicitor in 2000. He specialised in intellectual property law and worked for numerous media companies including Bloomsbury Publishing, United Agents talent agency, Recorded Picture Company film production and the sales agent Hanway Films. He also produced the feature film How To Be starring Robert Pattinson.

In recent times Justin has decided to leave Law and start a social enterprise initiative called How To Basically which is a place where people can come to be taught useful things. The first workshop is a converted bull pen in some farm buildings 20 minutes from Worth. It's built using salvaged and repurposed materials in keeping with How To Basically's ethos of repairing, repurpose and reuse.

As Justin says, "I kept thinking how important it is for young people to be taught life skills in a clear and concise way with hands-on practice, so I decided to start How To Basically. Being at Worth taught me the value of community and the need to help others less fortunate which is why our social mandate is to provide life skills training for free to those with financial, mental and/or physical challenges". Current courses include:

* How to use a power drill

* Life skills for leaving home

* Plumbing

* Painting & decorating

* Gardening (sewing seeds and harvesting)

* Car maintenance

* 101 things to make from a pallet

Justin goes on to say, "Learning these skills is all about feeling good, about developing the skills and confidence to have a go at things whilst saving money and the environment."

We wish him and all involved the very best of luck.