I recently had the opportunity to visit HMP Leyhill, a prison located in the heart of the rolling fields of the Gloucestershire countryside – unassuming from the outside, but on the inside a thriving hub of activity.
It was my first time visiting and it was so insightful that I feel compelled to share my experience.
I was joined by two Shannon Trust staff colleagues: Jon, our Print and Production Manager, and Laura, our Business Support Officer. HMP Leyhill is an important site for Shannon Trust because it’s home to our National Distribution Centre (NDC). This is where we store, sort and dispatch all our resources. This includes all manuals for our Count Me In and Turning Pages programmes, as well as supporting educational resources, flyers, posters and our iconic blue Shannon Trust mentor t-shirts.
On arrival in the morning we met with Sam*, who works at the NDC and keeps all our resources meticulously organised. He talked me through his processes for tracking stock and getting everything posted out to prisons across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Rows of shelves line the warehouse-style room, long lists of orders printed out, and everything clearly labelled, folded and stacked. It looked like a highly efficient storeroom of a commercial retail setting.
Sam spoke to me about his experience working there, and said it’s given him such a sense of purpose while serving his sentence and helped him to remain hopeful.
“I’m an engineer by trade and it’s in my nature to keep busy and understand how things work. I’ve made some mistakes in my past and wanted to use my time in prison to be productive and help others so I could make positive use of my time here.”
Our warehouse in the National Distribution Centre is part of the wider prison industries programmes. These provide work, training and rehabilitation across prisons and aim to provide people opportunities to gain meaningful work experience and additional skills that improve post-release employability. Other industries include textiles, laundry, gardening, cooking and cleaning.
Sam also shared about his experience as a Shannon Trust mentor during his time at HMP Leyhill. He told me that being a mentor gave him a huge sense of pride and improved his self-worth while in prison.
“One learner made a big impact on me. He was an older man and had made it into his 70s without being able to read. His goal was to be able to read the newspaper and write to his wife. The day when he could finally do that was special for both of us.”
At HMP Leyhill, we have a Shannon Trust prison facilitator, Ruth, managing our programmes with support from a mentor coordinator, Miles*. Like all our prison facilitators, Ruth oversees the day-to-day running of Shannon Trust activities, including organising training sessions, coordinating schedules and bookings, collecting data, and encouraging referrals to ensure learners are engaged and matched with a mentor.
Our mentor coordinator, Miles, provides additional logistical support and helps manage our team of mentors. With a strong interest in design and technology, Miles has taken the initiative to automate processes, including data collection. He has also created poster and resource templates that align with the Shannon Trust brand. Although access to technology is very limited within prisons, Miles has found ways to work within these constraints to develop systems that help the programmes run as efficiently as possible.
Miles told me that supporting Shannon Trust in this capacity has kept him engaged during his time in prison, and he values the opportunity to apply his skills while helping learners succeed.
While walking around HMP Leyhill, I was pleased to see Shannon Trust posters and resources displayed across key areas, which is clear evidence of a well-established and respected programme that actively supports learners at all levels.
As a Category D prison, Leyhill focuses on rehabilitation and reintegration, giving individuals the opportunity to build essential life and employability skills before release. Shannon Trust plays an important role in this, supporting those who struggle with reading or numeracy to gain confidence and independence. The team currently supports around 30 learners with the help of approximately 20 mentors across both the Turning Pages and Count Me In programmes.
Throughout my visit, I was struck not only by the team’s dedication but also their initiative in finding ways to improve and adapt the programme within a challenging environment.
I left feeling inspired by the people I met. Individuals who are determined to make meaningful use of their time, support one another, and prepare for a more positive future beyond prison walls.
*Names have been anonymised throughout.
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