The positive benefits of changing course

WHEN your dream career doesn’t work out don’t despair, says one RGS past pupil.

Noel Edwards ,who served as a special police sergeant before taking a much-needed break, has a message of hope for those suffering from mental health issues.

He left school in 2009 after taking A-levels in business studies, design technology and information and communication technology, and initially worked as a store manager at Argos before achieving his goal of becoming a police officer.

But his dream career, working as both a civilian employee and an officer with North Yorkshire’s Special Constabulary sadly turned sour.

Despite being commended for his work on knife crime and anti-social behaviour, Noel found that the work he had been dealing with over ten years – including roads policing and response as well as storing evidence from crime scenes, took its toll.

He decided to take a career break in 2023 and is now renovating and building a property in Otley: “The career break and focus on this building project is enabling me to rewire my brain and return to normality,’ he says.

Volunteering as a fully warranted officer meant he had the same powers as a regular police constable, while also being employed as a manager in the exhibits department: “Over the years of dealing with unpleasant content and seeing the dark side of life, be it road traffic collision scenes, domestic violence and injury or suicide, it took its toll.

“Everyone’s resilience is different, and I found it hard to deal with the things police have to deal with and witness day to day.

“But the challenges I went through have helped me to grow and improved my resilience massively. I want to stress is it’s OK to take a break from work if you find you’re struggling, and it’s not too late to take a gap year even later on in life.”

“I guess the main point to take from any negative experience is to never give up. Who knows where I’ll go next but I’ll have a career change that’s for sure. You can recover from anything negative or a bad experience, it doesn’t have to define you.”

When he looks back on his time at RGS, he recalls a very relaxed sixth form: “I guess when you’re that age you’ve got the respect of the teachers and have more responsibility and flexibility.”

In addition to having a weekend job in Woolworths, where he worked alongside others from his year group, he attended the local gym: “The sports hall was in the process of getting planning permission back then, so I started to do weight training in town and would go on my lunch break and free periods! It started a trend because loads of students in the same year followed, so the gym owner was pleased with all the extra business!”

A member of the school chess team, he now wishes he’d taken part in more sports activities at RGS. But, after leaving school, he did an outdoor pursuit course with the Royal Marines and another with the Army in York at Strensall Barracks.

While working as a manager in Argos, he says: “My own goal was always to become a police officer.”

There was lots about the job he enjoyed: “I enjoyed doing some radio interviews for Stray FM for recruitment campaigns and I was proud of my promotion to special sergeant, and also receiving a chief constable’s commendation for inspiration and an appreciation for my work on knife crime and anti-social behaviour.”

He wouldn’t discourage people from applying to the emergency services, he says, emphasising that there are a lot of roles in the police force, with something for everyone.

“However, there are a lot of situations and content police officers deal with that are very unpleasant. I’d just say you need to be very resilient and mentally tough. There’s a lot of stigma around mental health at the moment and this is so relevant to young people. It’s OK to seek help and support if you need it. It’s also great to talk about your experiences good or bad,” he says.

He appreciates his time at RGS, where his favourite teacher was head of design and technology, Mr Rudland: “I remember having some good banter with him about cars and engines too, as I made a small engine model in GCSE.

“He was a legend and a real gentleman who cared about his students. He would always help you if you were struggling, to get the best out of you."

His greatest success, he says, has has been meeting his fiancée, jeweller Abbie Stringwell (Pictured with him, above): "She's an incredible human being," he says.