Jenny, HMP Bristol librarian

I have been the facilitator at HMP Bristol for just over 2 years now.

My role has changed continuously during this time, especially due to COVID but it currently involves finding new mentors and organising their training; supply them with relevant material and logs, collect logs and fill out the monthly report for Shannon Trust. I promote Shannon Trust to staff and prisoners, and provide any other support needed for mentors and learners.

We are an established part of the prison and try to maintain good relationships with all wings, workshop and prison staff, most people know they can come here for any Shannon Trust queries. The library deals with so many different requests and issues that it is only natural that we should be involved and run it from here. Ideally, we could run reading sessions here, but that has been difficult to arrange because of COVID restrictions.

As part of the education team here, I am also involved in the daily induction classes which gives me the opportunity to meet new arrivals at the prison, talk to them about their reading abilities in a relaxed and friendly environment, and introduce them to Shannon Trust. My aim is for the library to be a welcoming space that visitors can use to suit their needs, I think this environment enhances the work as it is more calm and “non-prison”-like than the wing, and it is a learning environment but without the expectations (and sometimes negative associations) of a classroom.

I most enjoy being involved in something that may lead to positive change to both the mentors and learners involved in Shannon Trust. Asa remand prison we rarely keep people long enough to witness proper progression, but we are there at the beginning and support both learners and mentors as they are getting started.

My favourite memory would be when one learner and his mentor came to the library to practise reading and how we all listened and celebrated when he read through his first ever whole book (‘Fish and Chips’). It was such a huge step for this person and a proud moment for everyone involved in his reading journey!

My work with Shannon Trust is one of the things I do that might actually lead to proper change and improvement to people’s lives. I have seen the positive impact Shannon Trust work has on mentors; how empowering the act of passing on knowledge or a skill can be to a person who may not have felt competent or particularly knowledgeable before. I have witnessed how contagious helping others can be. I have also seen a few individuals gain great confidence from learning how to read, and followed as they began and completed their first education courses here at the prison, record a Storybook dad story for their children, and become learner of the month.