I can remember my first contact with the Shannon Trust programme many years ago. I looked out of my office onto an exercise yard where two prisoners were sat reading together. I had never seen this before and so asked them what they were doing. They explained that they were part of a Shannon Trust programme and one of them was mentoring the other to support him in being able to read. Since then I have had contact with the Shannon Trust support programme in many prisons and have watched it grow and become part of prison life in many establishments.

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I find it amazing that the service was (and still is) based on volunteers from our community giving their time to train and encourage prisoners to become reading mentors to support their peers. It is well documented that many prisoners are unable to read, or have low reading ability, and this service is a major part of our response to this need and helping in the rehabilitation of our prisoners. It has become a pivotal part of our education provision and is recognised as the main provider of support to our low-level readers across the country.

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The provision has developed to now include commercial contracts for the provision of the service from Shannon Trust, making this service more viable and sustainable across the country. It has also developed to encompass those struggling with mathematics as well as reading, and this has also been a great success in our establishments. The production and use of the 'books' by Shannon Trust is a key feature of the service and has enabled learners to evidence their progress and acquisition of skills, as well as give motivation and encouragement to continue with their studies. However, the basic ethos of a service delivered by peer supporters on a one-to-one basis has not changed, and I believe this is one of the main reasons for the great success of the programme.

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One of my many recollections of the Shannon Trust programme was when I attended a celebration event in an establishment where a seventy-six-year-old man was recognised for having completed a number of the books, and had progressed from being unable to read to being confident to read a book by himself for the first time in his life. The confidence that he had gained had also made him feel able to attend other activities such as the gym and the prison choir, something that he would not have felt able to do prior to engaging with the Shannon Trust programme. It was incredible to hear that someone who had spent the majority of his life being unable to access many areas of life that we take for granted, was now able to do so. It also showed me that the impact of the work of the Shannon Trust in our prisons is even wider than the provision of support for reading and mathematics.

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I am grateful to the Shannon Trust and the work of their volunteers and employees in our prisons, and I hope that you will be able to continue providing your vital service in our prison establishments for another twenty-five years.