When I joined Shannon Trust as a regional manager, in late 2014, the charity looked very different to how it is today. I can still vividly recall my first prison visit, to join a mentor focus group, where they discussed the draft version of the then-unpublished Turning Pages that they had been testing with their learners. This was followed a few days later by my first full staff meeting, held in a windowless basement room barely bigger than the average prison cell, which perhaps wasn't too surprising given that it only needed to accommodate a team of 9 people. At this stage, we supported an estimated 3000 learners each year, relying almost entirely on the good will of Officers, librarians and other prison staff, plus of course our amazing mentors and volunteers.

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Since then, we've grown hugely in terms of the scope of our work, the number of brilliant people I'm proud to call colleagues and, most importantly, the number of people we support. As we reach our 25th anniversary (coincidentally in the same year that my wife and I celebrate our own silver wedding anniversary), I, proud to be part of an organisation that supports over 11,000 learners each year, engages thousands more as mentors, and delivers both reading and numeracy support to people in prisons and in the community.

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During this period of growth and development, it's obvious to me that other things, in fact, haven't changed. I remember attending a mentor meeting where one of our volunteers read out a letter that the prison had received from a former learner who'd been released, and who'd written to express his gratitude to his mentor for the life-changing support he'd so selflessly offered, and the lasting effect on him as an individual and as a parent. Seeing the emotion in the room, not least from the mentor himself who'd previously been unaware of the letter, it was clear then, as it is remains to this day, just what an enormous impact our programmes have on all the different groups of people involved - learners, mentors, staff and volunteers.

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Personally, my time at Shannon Trust have given me many other positive experiences. Hearing from learners who've benefitted from Turning Pages Digital and our Count Me In numeracy programme, both of which I had a hand in developing, continues to be incredibly rewarding. I remain proud to have been part of an organisation that always puts our learners and mentors at the heart of what we do and one with the potential to make such an enormous difference beyond the prison gate, as they enter the next phase of their lives.