Izzi Polehampton, A Band Of Brothers, Falmouth

Izzi Polehampton does more to help his community than almost anyone else.

His mother killed herself when he was 15, leaving him with an alcoholic, abusive father. Suffering acute anxiety and depression, compounded by mental disorders and addiction, Polehampton’s life was one of self-destruction.

When he discovered A Band of Brothers, however, he worked hard to confront his demons. Then he decided to give back: the charity said he was now “the mentor’s mentor”, responsible for the transformation of 15 young men from tough backgrounds, most with mental health problems and many of whom had been to prison.

“Lots of these young men are fathers and I work with them break the chain of abuse,” said Polehampton. “Every mentee I’ve worked with has managed to break that chain. That’s quite some feeling for me to carry with me.”