ONE-TIME gang member Michael Maisey, who has turned his life around and helped others improve their lives, has won an award for his book ‘Young Offender’.

Michael, who grew up in London but now lives in Wellington, got into gang crime and was incarcerated at the age of 16. He said: “Aged 18 I turned it all around and embarked on a journey of self-development. I took responsibility for the wrongs I had done and learnt new ways to handle challenging situations. I have been sober from alcohol and drugs for 13 years.”

Michael set up the Change is Possible project in 2018, visiting schools and prisons, and running self-development workshops to help people improve their mindset and their lives. He has worked at Wellington School, Richard Huish College in Taunton and Blundells School in Tiverton.

Michael, who won a Literary Titan silver award for his book, has also appeared on BBC Somerset and BBC Radio London to help raise awareness around men’s mental health, and hosts the CIP podcast.

The award is ‘bestowed on books that expertly deliver complex characters, intricate worlds, and thought provoking themes. The ease with which the story is told is a reflection of the author’s talent in exercising fluent, powerful and appropriate language’.

‘Young Offender’ author Michael Maisey is pictured with Vanessa Feltz at BBC Radio London.