News & Views

'I was in prison and you visited me'

When Lent begins later this month, tradition has it that we give something up for 40 days as part of a period of self-reflection, repentance, and preparation for Easter. However, over time I have become fond of the practice of taking something up instead - pledging a commitment for the same purpose.

During this year as Sheriff of the City of London, my wife Elspeth and I have directed that energy towards inviting Masters, Prime Wardens and the Upper Bailiff of the Livery Companies to join us on a series of sponsored walks to each of London's prisons on Mondays throughout Lent.

We are doing so to raise money for the Sheriffs’ & Recorder’s Fund, to highlight the vital work of prison staff and associated charities, and to provide an opportunity for those joining to meet and engage with the people who live and work within our prisons.

Highlighting the work of prison charities

While I say this is something we have organised, all credit must go to Elspeth, who has taken my kernel of an idea and turned it into a meaningful and considered endeavour.

Although she has done this in her capacity as Shrieval Consort, Elspeth's commitment to supporting prison charities and all those who work within them is a deeply personal one. As it happens, the indomitable prison reformer, Elizabeth Fry, whose statue stands proudly in the Grand Hall at the Old Bailey, is one of her ancestors, and her father was also in prison chaplaincy.

Following an invitation to a charity lunch from Lady Mayoress Felicity Lyons in 2023, where she was introduced to a number of prison charities, she became committed to supporting them and went on her first prison visit. In particular, Elspeth saw a need to share the incredible work that they do, when so often the news is filled with negative stories about prison environments. She also wanted to help connect the charities themselves with one another, in what can often be a fairly siloed working environment.

In essence, there's a need to humanise what happens in prisons as well as all the people who are working hard to help individuals improve their lives within their walls and beyond them.

The Livery Lenten Sponsored Prison Walks

This insight led to the idea of the Livery Lenten Sponsored Prison Walks, on which Elspeth, with the encouragement of myself, The Recorder HHJ Mark Lucraft KC and Sheriff & Deputy Keith Bottomley, has been working for over a year.

London is one of the most beautiful cities to walk through - filled with history, impressive architecture and open spaces. It's easy to take it all for granted, but time to appreciate our surroundings lends itself to the idea of a series of charity walks. Elspeth has curated six routes (all but one of which she has recce’d herself), either to or from HMP Pentonville, HMP Wandsworth, HMP Wormwood Scrubs, HMP Brixton, HMP Isis and HMP Downview.

Each walk has a bespoke itinerary developed with the prison governor and the relevant charity. At HMP Isis, for example, walkers will be greeted by the deputy prison governor, and spend the morning in a reverse mentoring session where young men who have completed the Men of Purpose programme will share their stories with prison officers to enable them to perform their jobs better .

The four shorter routes will begin at The Old Bailey with coffee and croissants generously provided by Social Pantry, while the two longer walks will begin at the prisons themselves and end at The Old Bailey where there will be a glass of Shrieval fizz and nibbles waiting. On the longer walks from HMP Isis and HMP Downview, Liberty Kitchen, a prison charity which trains prisoners in catering skills, have also kindly volunteered to set up a pop-up en-route, serving wraps for lunch (donations encouraged), an opportunity not just for refreshments but also to connect with another prison charity.

Fundraising

The premise of the Livery Lenten Sponsored Prison Walks is simple. There are 60 places (10 per walk, more than 55 of which have been allocated already) for Masters, Prime Wardens and the Upper Bailiff (or their representatives) to join one each. In doing so, they also commit to raising £1,000 in sponsorship in aid of the Sheriffs’ & Recorder’s Fund. The fund is a long-established London-based charity that works closely with the Probation Service supporting the rehabilitation of prison leavers and their families through individual grants and prison-based rehabilitation projects. Our hope is to raise in excess of £60,000 for their good works, and we are well on our way to doing so.

Awareness

While fundraising is an essential part of these walks, we feel the opportunity for connection is equally important. Elspeth puts it more eloquently than I, saying:

"We really want to connect the walkers with the prisoners as people, looking beyond their circumstance. My hope is that everyone joining will get to experience what I did when I did my first walk to Pentonville. A friend came with me to spend a morning with the Time4Change programme, who were speaking to a group of men about carrying knives, discussing the reasons and the consequences, including the psychological impact of using them. This was a safe space for these men, and when I was there talking to them they weren't defensive - they spoke to us with vulnerability. As I sat there I thought there was nowhere else I would rather have been that morning than talking to these people - it was really special. When I spoke to my friend about it afterwards, she was equally captivated. I'm hoping that when we take our walkers into the prisons, some of them will feel that this is important work, and ask themselves how they can do more in this space. Maybe it will sow the seeds for something greater."

How you can help

While the walks themselves will be attended by the Masters, Prime Wardens and Upper Bailiff (or their representatives), we are really keen to share the experience and our learnings far and wide. The work of our prisons is so important for us as a society, and it's our collective involvement that will help make a difference.

It is my intention to share stories, photos, and feedback from the walks, but your support at this stage would be invaluable. You can get involved simply by sharing what we're doing, reading more about it, or perhaps sponsoring walkers by making a donation - all via the link below. You might even feel inspired to reflect how you and your organisation can support prison leavers.

Elspeth and I will be joining all the Livery Lenten Sponsored Prison Walks from 23rd February until 30th March. I look forward to seeing all those who attend, and sharing our experiences afterwards. I hope this is the beginning of something meaningful that we can all feel proud to contribute to.

Find out more about the Livery Lenten Sponsored Prison Walks

Donate via our JustGiving page and quote “Robert and Elspeth”