A MAN who has dedicated his life to caring for people with mental health issues following the death of his brother has finally seen his dream come true.

Ollie White, 32, is now officially a registered manager at The Orchards, in Thorrington, a facility which supports men with mental health needs and learning disabilities.

His senior appointment comes after years of hard work, which a stint as an NHS support worker after leaving Clacton County High School.

More recently he joined Cygnet Health Care, which has helped Ollie to achieve his goal of becoming a manager.

The father-of-two, from Clacton, said: “I always had this day in my head, and it is dream come true for me. I cried tears of joy when the certificate came through.

“I can honestly say that I love my job, and that I wake up every morning happy that I’m going to help people.

“Our job is to help our residents to live as independently as possible. It’s about going the extra mile every day to make their lives better.”

Ollie was inspired to enter a profession in which he could help others after his old brother tragically died when Ollie was just 15.

“He was my best friend and his death hurt so much and that’s why I went to work in mental health, because I wanted to understand why he died,” he added.

“On the outside, he seemed to have the perfect life – he was a model and was doing really well for himself, but inside he was struggling with his mental health.

“I still don’t know all the answers about why he died, but I think he would be proud of me.”

As well as battling the horrific loss of a sibling, Ollie has also had to overcome undiagnosed dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

“I always knew something wasn’t quite right at a young age and I really struggled at school,” he added.

“I only found out after I took a job at Cygnet and they recognised my disability and offered me support.

“I’m not going to say it’s been easy, because there has been a lot of bumps in the road.

“But I hope any person reading this with learning difficulties understands nothing is out of grasp and if you want something hard enough, and you give 100 per cent, you will get it.”