Having lost his mother at the age of six, Osian dropped out of school at 13 and went into the care system a year later, finding himself homeless at 17. He had moved from his home town of Blaenau Ffestiniog to Caernarfon, but carried his childhood trauma with him, causing crippling anxiety and depression.

Moving to Cardiff in 2019 to play football kickstarted a remarkable journey thanks to the intervention of Michael Sheen, the award-winning Welsh actor. Their relationship began when Osian played in the Homeless World Cup in Cardiff, where he engaged with The Wallich, a homelessness and rough sleeping charity. “Michael was heavily involved with the tournament and also became involved in a documentary about my own journey and experience,” said Osian. “I later found myself homeless again and attended a reunion-type event where Michael gave a very empowering speech.

“I spoke to him about my situation and the struggles I faced and he met a couple of people from The Wallich who then helped me with housing and funding. “His kindness, wisdom and determination to help end homelessness in Wales inspired me to push on through hard times. He became my idol, a huge influence in my life who encouraged me to learn. Just as I was losing hope, with no-one to turn to, he and The Wallich were my platform, my support and I will never forget their compassion.”

Osian is now a rising acting talent, having participated in The Wallich’s Wales-wide ‘The Story Project’ at the start of 2024, a 10-week theatre-based training programme that introduced him to the world of stage and screen. He has already appeared on the stage at the Sherman Theatre which led to his first professional production role in Cardiff.

Rosie Seager, Creative Arts Co-ordinator at The Wallich, said: “Osian has transformed his life through the power of adult learning, showing incredible strength, drive and commitment to his learning journey.” Osian added: “I never thought a career in acting would be for ‘someone like me’, but adult learning started this journey to becoming an actor, learning the guitar and being creative.”