EGREMONT'S homeless hostel Calderwood House is going from strength-to-strength since opening three years ago.

The 11-bed hostel gives priority to ex-servicemen and women, but accommodation is also offered to Copeland's homeless people.

Since opening, more than 100 homeless people have been supported.

One of the success stories is former resident Amy Fowler, who recently changed her life around. She hopes her story will inspire others to follow in her footpath.

When Amy moved into Calderwood House she was homeless, penniless and at an all-time low. She is now running her own car valeting business.

"Last year was the worst year of my life, this year is the best year of it," she said.

“During 2016 things really came to a head, I had a breakdown and couldn’t cope. I turned to drugs, which made my mental health far worse, and I developed psychosis, a mental health problem which causes people to perceive things differently from those around them.

"My tenancy came to an end and I found myself homeless. I was at my lowest ebb."

Amy says thanks to Calderwood House, she's managed to turn things around.

"I stopped taking drugs, that's a condition of being a resident and got the help I needed to get healthy, I’ve been drug free ever since.

"From the first day I moved into Calderwood I felt safe again, they’ve given me the support to turn my life around.

"I was in a bad place, I didn’t believe I could turn things around, but I knew I had to try, the guys at Calderwood believed in me and, in nine months, my whole world has been transformed. If I can do it, so can anyone."

The hostel was awarded £63,263 two years ago from Copeland Community Fund. The money has been used to pay for the salaries of the support staff who provide 24-hour 7 day a week support to the residents.

Rachel Holliday, founder of Calderwood House, said: "We would like to say a huge big thank you to the Copeland Community Fund, they really have supported us from the beginning, initially with £167,000 to support the building refurbishment and latterly the support staff costs.

"The funding has allowed us to provide support for over 100 homeless people in our area, we cannot thank them enough."

David Moore, the chair of Copeland Community Fund, said: "The fund is pleased to have been such vital support to Calderwood House and hearing that the residents are turning their lives around is great news."