Rebekah Simms nee Farley

"I was just 12 years old when my Dad started The Matthew Project. I really had no idea what this meant or the impact it would have on our family, or on so many people. Peter Farley was just my Dad, he had been a teacher and was now starting a new job.

He rented a little office on St Giles in Norwich, it had been a taxi office and was upstairs, above a shop. I remember it had a neat little hatch behind some perspex where the taxi office controller would have sat. I loved visiting the office and sitting in the hatch and pretending to take calls, there was also a stationary cupboard which I could take packets of post-it notes, pens and pencils from.

When I was about 14 years old Dad came to speak in assembly at my High school (Hewett school in Norwich), I was so embarrassed, only my friends knew it was my Dad and I remember being terrified everyone else would find out. Dad spoke about TMP's work and read an extract from a book. Afterwards, everyone was saying “that man and TMP IS really cool “; only then did I say “actually that’s my Dad and his Project.“

Fast forward 40 years and I have spent over 14 years working for Norfolk Police, my current role is an ASB and Early Help coordinator, this means I work a lot with partners. The Matthew Project is mentioned within my work environment almost on a daily basis, nowadays my heart swells with pride and whenever I get the opportunity I say “actually that’s my Dad and his Project"."