After a breakdown in her relationship with her mum and a failed foster placement, Julia ran away from home at 15 years old making herself homeless. She managed to continue with her education but, despite working six jobs to pay for a bedsit, she knew that she wouldn’t achieve the aspirations she held. 

She made the decision to join the Army and assigned to the Royal Signals. 
“My life as a teenager was tough but it could have been much harder. When I joined the Forces it not only offered me a good career and a home, but also a family. I soon realised that 90% of the people I had enlisted with had similar experiences to me – if not worse.”

Julia served for six years and during that time was on active duty in The Falklands and in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. In Ireland she ran a solo man communications centre and deployed soldiers to dispose of bombs and did several clean-up operations after bombs had gone off.

She says: “I left the army suffering from PTSD but it wasn’t diagnosed at the time. This later led me to become interested in hypnotherapy and later counselling.”

Julia is proud to say that, despite her qualifications not being overly strong as a teenager and her adverse experiences, she has since achieved two degrees and is now studying a Postgraduate qualification in counselling. 

She joined Vistry earlier this year and is now people business partner for Housebuilding West. She says: “When I went into HR, I was able to apply not only my qualifications but my experiences. 

“I have met employees suffering from mental ill health who have talked about their experiences and trauma and when I say ‘I get it’ they find it hard to believe. 

“I was involved in the recent careers fair for the armed forces, and although initially I wasn’t sure how impactful my story could be, as I talked to people who were leaving the Army, uncertain about their futures, I was able to share my own experiences and highlight the opportunities that are available. 

“One of the biggest challenges voiced by ex-military people is that they don’t understand civilian speak. They find that they speak a different language to civilians. But there are companies like Vistry who are willing and keen to accommodate veterans and support them through the transition.

“Because of our involvement with the Armed Forces Covenant, Vistry is committed to supporting people coming out of the forces. Careers fairs are crucial as it provides job seekers leaving the forces with the opportunity to start the conversation and I believe my role is to help bridge the gap, act as a translator between the Army and civilian speak. 

“If my story can inspire just one person to make the move and apply to enter the house building sector then I would be very happy.”

Julia is also part of the work to establish a focused Vistry training plan for ex-forces, instrumental for attracting new employees and supporting existing ex-veterans. She is also working closely with the local MOD to marry the Business Units to their local reservist Barracks. Vistry is committed to supporting ex-service personnel and reservists and is a long-term signatory of The Armed Forces Covenant, retaining the gold standard. The company became the first major housebuilder to earn the Gold Award from the Ministry of Defence as part of its Employer Recognition Scheme in 2019. 

If you would like to learn more about how Vistry supports ex-forces personnel click here: Vistry Careers