Melanie Murray

After leaving school I knew that I wanted to embark on a career that involved working with people but after studying Travel and Tourism and Leisure and Tourism I decided that this line of work was not right for me so decided to try to join the Police. After successfully passing I started having doubts and so took some time out to travel. Being a tour representative in Greece and Ibiza taught me to be independent and organised and allowed me to interact with lots of likeminded people as well as indulge in my passion for dance.

In 1996 I returned home and landed a job running a pub which I enjoyed immensely. Working with a wide range of people and managing staff gave me a great deal of satisfaction however following the birth of my first child I decided to change direction and became a Housing Benefit Advisor for Darlington Borough Council. During my years there I worked with incredibly vulnerable members of the public who often lead chaotic lives and troubled with substance misuse. Using empathy and my knowledge to help and guide these individuals gave me great satisfaction so when I was approached a few years later to join a brand new Customer Service team within the council, I readily agreed. Becoming an expert in all things Benefit and Council Tax strengthened my knowledge, during this time I also successfully completed several courses including Customer Service Level 2 course, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Managing Conflict and First Aid. Within my 17 years at the Council I also learnt several other services meaning I could effectively deal with customers enquiries over the phone and face to face.

As my second daughter was approaching her teens my thoughts turned to using my extensive skills with vulnerable people within the community and have always dreamed of working within the Emergency Services. When a post came up to apply to be a call handler for Durham Police, I jumped at the chance and luckily was successful. During my 4 years within the Force Control Room, I learnt to be resilient, how to work with a wider range of the general public during their hour of need which gave me immense satisfaction but felt that I wanted to expand on this and support the most vulnerable within our communities. Being a Community Peer Mentor is the perfect way of doing this and I am very eager to develop my skills, work as part of an amazing team and make a real difference.

In my spare time I love to read, spend time with my loved ones and follow my favorite F1 team.