After leaving school in Doncaster at 16 with no qualifications, Tim Perkins spent much of the next 30 years living on the streets. This week, the 46-year-old is starting a degree in philosophy at the University of Exeter after turning his life around.

He credits one moment of clarity for kick-starting his change of course.

¡°I was laid in a doorway and I was really convinced I was going to die,¡± he said. ¡°And I just realised I needed to find a way out.¡±

The following day he contacted the Northern College for Residential and Community Adult Education, an adult education college near Barnsley.

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¡°I chose them because it was residential so I knew I¡¯d have somewhere to live. I just rang up and they gave me an interview,¡± Mr Perkins said. ¡°I never had any second thoughts. It was about survival ¨C I just knew I had to get out of the way I was living.¡±

That way of life included two six-month jail terms for offences involving what he describes as ¡°aggressive¡± behaviour, and nearly three decades of living rough.

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¡°It started when I was 16 when I hitched down to London to get work on building sites and I just sort of drifted into it,¡± he said, adding that he later became involved with protest movements around issues such as the poll tax and the Newbury bypass.

Mr Perkins¡¯ time on the streets, mainly in Doncaster, Durham and Inverness, left him with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and problems arising from alcohol abuse.

¡°I¡¯ve got scars on my face from being kicked by people just coming out of the pub who want to attack someone vulnerable,¡± he said.

¡°The main thing I remember from being homeless is being tired all the time,¡± he continues. ¡°You never really sleep or relax. You can¡¯t afford to ¨C you have to be alert all the time because there¡¯s always a threat that something bad will happen or someone will attack you.¡±

But Mr Perkins said he always felt he had the potential to do more with his life.

¡°Even when I was on the streets I knew I had an intellect. But I never really got the chance to use it ¨C life throws things at you and you have to survive.¡±

Adjusting to a new life of study was difficult, he admitted.

¡°Northern College was fantastic; they took me on trust and I¡¯m very grateful for that. But it certainly wasn¡¯t easy. I had cabin fever at first ¨C I felt like I¡¯d lost my freedom. Having a structure to the day was hard and, to be honest, it still is.¡±

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At Northern, Mr Perkins took an Access to Higher Education Diploma ¨C a qualification that allows mature students without school qualifications to reach university ¨C in humanities and social sciences.

¡°I came off the alcohol and just worked solidly for a year. Even when I was on the streets I¡¯d been thinking about university, and halfway through the course some of the lecturers said I should apply. I wasn¡¯t sure I was good enough but I thought I¡¯d give it a go.¡±

After applying to Durham, Lancaster and Exeter universities, he settled on a place in the South West to study philosophy.

¡°Obviously I¡¯m pleased and excited but there¡¯s a huge amount of trepidation too ¨C I¡¯m 46, I¡¯m grey, basically I¡¯m buggered. I don¡¯t know what the other students will make of me or how I¡¯ll handle them. I find everyday life hard enough.

¡°But I don¡¯t want to go back to the streets ¨C being an academic and doing research looks much better than that.¡±

Liz Murphy, the university¡¯s head of student support services, said that the university had provision to meet Mr Perkins¡¯ needs should he require support.

¡°Although we have lots of young people coming straight from school, we also have a sizeable number of mature students,¡± she said. ¡°We try to encourage people to hook up with similar people to help develop a sense of belonging.¡±

Ms Murphy added that he might also want to become part of the university¡¯s community work programme.

¡°Tim¡¯s turned his life around pretty quickly and people who have done things like that often have things they want to share. We have a strong ethos around volunteering at Exeter which he can be part of if he wants. I¡¯m not saying he¡¯ll want to, but the opportunity is there.¡±

Meanwhile, Jill Westerman, the principal of Northern College, said that the college was ¡°thrilled¡± by his success. ¡°The college mission is to transform lives, and Tim seized the chance to come to live and study in Northern College for a year,¡± Ms Westerman said. ¡°He became a valued member of our college community. All his tutors wish him every success in his future studies.¡±

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