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At the Labour Party Conference, on the 1st of October 1996, Tony Blair said: “Ask me my three main priorities for Government, and I’ll tell you: education, education and education.” A statement he repeated in 2001, at the launch of Labour’s education manifesto, at the University of Southampton where he said: “Our top priority was, … Continue reading Education! education! Education! →

The image I've chosen to go with this blog is one which has been used numerous times for articles discussing/ reporting on prison. They say a picture paints a thousand words, this picture asks many questions. One question that immediately comes to mind is whether the person without the keys is being unlocked or locked … Continue reading What we see? →

In June 2019, I wrote a blog titled A Day to Remember, all about a special day I had with Anj Cairns, the former CEO of Shannon Trust, and now CEO of Unlock. We spoke together, but separately, on behalf of Shannon Trust, at an event in the House of Commons during Evidence Week. It was … Continue reading Another day to remember →

So, today was a rather strange experience and all I did was walk to our local Tesco for a few bits we needed. Woe betide my day if I failed to return with treats for our Staffie, Frankie and our cat, Millie. Anyway, I digress. As I was walking through my quiet village a van … Continue reading Reflection of reform →

Until quite recently I wasn't aware of how close I came to being shot by police. Last week, I binged watched, on Amazon Prime, 'Armed and Deadly: Police UK' which is a docu-series showing operations armed police in the UK have carried out. It had such a profound effect on me. By the end of … Continue reading Reflective perspective →

The image, 'Create Escape', is, of course, the artwork created by Banksy which appeared on a wall at the former prison where Oscar Wilde served his time, HMP Reading. I am sure Banksy's artwork depicts someone escaping from prison. However, I also see it from another perspective. I see the escape as escaping society and … Continue reading In or Out? →

During my times as a listener in prison, I'd like to think I approached the role in the right way with empathy at the core of my listens. I have mentioned before how on occasions I was asked if I believed everything I was told by those I was listening to, and my answer to … Continue reading Reflections and an apology. →

Who knew that volunteering to be a mentor for Shannon Trust back in 2005 would be right up there with some of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and considering the list only counts three, it was indeed a rare occasion. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but not as wonderful as accidental foresight. In 2005, … Continue reading Volunteering/mentoring →

In the title of this blog, I am in fact, referring to education, or more the ability to learn. Even when doing nothing. Yesterday, I had nothing to do, so I did nothing. I cooked a Sunday roast later in the day but I enjoy that so don't see it as a chore. However, what … Continue reading It’s all around us! →