A man who swapped a career in cinema to lend a sympathetic ear to others says he enjoys making difference.

Stuart Law, 34, is head of counselling at Walk Tall, the Messenger’s Charity of the Year.

It offers young people the opportunity to express themselves and learn through art.

Another key focus of the organisation is therapy, a service that is open to people of all ages.

At Walk Tall’s headquarters in Lower Road, Northfleet, there are many counselling rooms where Mr Law and his team help those in need of someone to talk to.

Through their outreach work with schools and other organisations, the charity has found that therapy is a valued service for people in Gravesham and Dartford.

He said: “We’ve generated relationships with a lot of schools and groups in the area and we get a lot referrals from them.

“We’ve learnt that there is a real need for a counselling service for adults and young people and we hope to fill that need.

“We spend time with a wide range of people – it gratifies me and my team to do what we do and to try to make a difference. To help people in suffering is a real privilege.”

The charity prides itself on its accessibility, offering counselling sessions that allow people to express themselves with greater ease.

Mr Law said: “The counselling is open-ended which means sessions can go on for as long as people need them.

“The problems are really quite diverse, from bullying and self-harm to domestic abuse.”

Mr Law is helped by a team of 16 part-time counsellors the majority of whom are volunteers.

He said:“With the counselling service we’ve got a team of councillors with different backgrounds so we accommodate a wide range of issues that other organisations probably couldn’t.

“They are also offered things here like drama and acting which is also quite attractive for people.”

Mr Law, who has been working in counselling for 10 years but has served Walk Tall in different roles for seven-and-a-half, said he felt “lucky” to be part of the charity.

He originally embarked on a career in the film industry as a script developer and runner.

He said:“I left it because it didn’t turn out to be the great industry that I thought it might be.

“I grew up loving films and wanted to be part of the industry but didn’t know it wasn’t that accessible. I wanted to work with people and counselling offered me that.

“I can think of a couple of people who have come back with letters or text messages which explain how well they’re doing. It makes the job worthwhile, it really does.”

To find out more about Walk Tall log on to www.walk-tall.org.uk