News
HMP Haverigg Class Makes News
A yoga and meditation class the Prison Phoenix Trust helped establish in 2001 has been featured recently in the Whitehaven News. The article highlights how the classes "help the men relax, control their aggression and be aware of their reactions". You can read the full article here.
Alison Liebling Lecture
The Prison Phoenix Trust is delighted to host a talk by Professor Alison Liebling on Tuesday 29th May at 6.30 pm at Colet House, Hammersmith. Alison will speak about her research which has shown that prisoners describe a feeling of personal development only in a few, high quality prisons. Questions she will explore include: What contributes to that feeling of personal development? Should prisons be aiming for a climate of personal development? How can they do that? And can yoga and meditation play a role in creating such a climate?
Alison is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Director of the Prisons Research Centre at the University of Cambridge Institute of Criminology. She has carried out research on suicides in prison, staff-prisoner relationships, the work of prison officers, incentives and earned privileges, prison privatization, values and practices in prison life, and measuring the quality of prison life. She has published several books, including Prisons and their Moral Performance and The Effects of Imprisonment.
Admission is free but you need to book by writing to us at the PPT, PO Box 238, Oxford, OX2 7HF or getting in touch.
Something Understood
Prison Phoenix Trust patron, Sir Mark Tully, spoke about the work of the Trust in his radio show, Something Understood. The show, which was on the theme of meditation, aired on the 15th of April at 6am on BBC Radio 4.
Scotland
HMPs Inverness, Dumfries, Shotts and Glenochil hosted taster yoga and meditation workshops at the end of February and beginning of March. The workshops, run by PPT Staff Sally and Sam and attended by local yoga teachers, allowed prisoners and prison staff the chance to experience for themselves the benefits of the practices to see if they would like to include it in their regime. On Saturday 3rd March, Sam and Sally met with yoga teachers currently working in Scottish prisons and those wanting to find out about the work.
Ireland
Sally and Sam visited HMP / YOC Hydebank Wood in Belfast at the end of April, running two taster workshops for the women there, one for staff, and one for the male young offenders. They had terrific support from the staff, who are looking into the feasibility of weekly classes.
Research
Workshop
We visited HMP Bristol to run a workshop with prisoners on the 8th of February.
London Fundraising Concert
On Sunday the 27th of November Jenna Monroe and James D'Angelo performed 'The Spirit of Compassion', a concert in aid of the Prison Phoenix Trust. The concert took place at Colet House, West London, at 3pm. James and Jenna performed songs from the great musicals, Leonard Cohen, freedom songs and jazz standards. This event was underwritten for us by the Study Society. Thank you so much to Jenna, James and the Study Society for their support!
Pottery Exhibition and Sale in Aid of the Trust
We are grateful to potter Jonathan Chiswell Jones and his colleagues for donating part of the proceeds from their pre-Christmas sale at the Art Workers Guild in Queen's Square, London on the 22nd of November. Stunning pottery, big hearted people, lovely event! Contact us if you want to know more about Jonathan's pottery.
Yoga Teacher Training
Our training programme for 2012 is now available to book. We have training days in Oxford, Perthshire and Dublin and a residential retreat in Oxfordshire. For more information see our training page.
Volunteer Training Day
On Tuesday the 22nd of November, Wayne came to talk to our letter writing volunteers about his long correspondence with the Trust while he was in prison and the difficulties of getting used to life outside of prison again.
London Om Yogathon
Thank you so much to all who participated or sponsored our yogathon! So far this event has raised us £2062.75. We woud like to thank everyone involved for their support.
September meditation course for prison yoga teachers
The Prison Phoenix Trust’s Weekend Retreat, ‘Waking Up to Meditation’ ran from the 16–18th of September at the Carmelite Priory, Boars Hill, Oxford. This course was mainly for teachers already working in prison, and was a chance to develop or deepen your practice of silent breath-based meditation, seated and walking. We will be running another meditation retreat in 2013, and there will be more prison yoga teacher training opportunities coming up in early 2012.Prison Workshops
We have run workshops in HMPs Huntercombe, Stafford and Nottingham this autumn. We also attended wellbeing days at HMPs Leyhill and Bullingdon.
PPT Attended Governors Conference for the First Time
Sam and Jason attended the 2011 Prison Governors Association Conference in October.
The Prison Phoenix Trust wins the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services
The award, part of the Queen’s birthday honours, is the highest given to voluntary groups across the UK. It is conferred in recognition of the contribution our volunteers make to the work of supporting prisoners and prison officers in their spiritual lives.
It is fantastic that our volunteers are getting the highest accolade possible for their work. The selection committee recognised the often unseen work done by volunteers at the Trust, from planting out flowers outside the office to sending over 5,000 book packs annually; from dispatching the newsletter to 10,500 people each season to making curtains for the back room; providing advice on specific Prison Service and faith issues and ensuring that the Trust stays financially and legally safe and sound; database entry and keeping up with the filing; and typing up correspondence from prisoners for the newsletter and managing the teachers’ networks in Ireland and Scotland. The committee was also impressed by those prison yoga and meditation teachers who work without payment. And, of course, this award is very much for those who write letters to prisoners, providing wisdom and solace in what is, to many people, their darkest time.
The award will be formally made by the Vice Lord Lieutenant during our fundraising event at Corpus Christi college, Oxford, on the 30th of June.
We would like to offer our most wholehearted thanks for our volunteers' commitment and the energy they give to those living and working in prisons, hospitals and hostels.
Postcards for Sale
We have designed a range of postcards, featuring charming illustrations of yoga posees by Korky Paul, which we are selling to raise money for the Trust. If you would like a pack of 12 postcards, please send a cheque for £7 along with your name and address to The Prison Phoenix Trust, PO Box 328, Oxford, OX2 7HF.
Yoga Research
The Prison Phoenix Trust and Oxford University are planning to conduct quantitative research into the effects of a ten week course of yoga and meditation. The research will involve 240 prisoners from the West Midlands. Results will be published in a peer reviewed journal in 2012.
Classes Restarted at YOI Aylesbury
Following a PPT workshop in July classes for staff and prisoners have resumed at HMYOI Aylesbury.
Workshops in June
In June we visited two prisons. At HMYOI Brinsford we ran a stall at the Staff Wellbeing Day and at HMP Earlstoke we led three yoga workshops at the Men's Health Day.
POA Conference
Sam and Jason attended the 2011 Prison Officers Association. They ran a stall at the conference from the 10th to the 12th of May.
Probation Hostel Workshops
Luisa and Jason ran workshops in Approved Premises in Brighton and Guildford on the 26th of May.
HMP Erlestoke workshop
Luisa and Jason visited HMP Erlestoke, a category C male prison in Wiltshire, on the 14th of April to run a workshop for prisoners.
HMP Highpoint workshops
Sam and Elaine visited HMP Highpoint, a category C male prison in Suffolk, on the 26th of April to run a workshop for prisoners.
New materials for women prisoners
We have launched our new leaflets, designed to be especially accessible for younger female prisoners. They feature a short yoga sequence to try and a form which prisoners can use to order our materials. If you work in a women's prison in the UK or Ireland please get in touch if you'd like some.Sam speaks at the BWY Congress
Sam presented two sessions on the work of the Prison Phoenix Trust at the British Wheel of Yoga Congress at Warwick University on the 8th of April. These sessions explored why meditation and yoga work for prisoners and, as a teacher, how to make sure that they do.
Teacher training in Oxford
The Prison Phoenix Trust held a training day to help teachers explore issues involved in working in prison on the 2nd of April in Oxford. We held a similar event in Scotland on the 21st of May.
Staff workshops at HMP Featherstone
As part of the prison's Diversity Day on the 29th of March we held 6 workshops at HMP Featherstone.
Grendon restarted yoga classes
On the 24th of March Sam, Luisa and local teacher Caroline held the first yoga class since funding was cut last year. Thanks to the Friends of Grendon, Caroline has begun teaching a weekly class there.
Trip to Ireland
In February Sam and Luisa went to Ireland to run 7 workshops in 4 prisons and facilitate a training day for yoga teachers considering teaching in Irish prisons.HMP Haverigg workshop
Sam and Jason visited HMP Haverigg in Cumbria on the 18th of February, to run a workshop for prisoners. They were accompanied by local teacher Kay, who has now started two weekly classes.
Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre workshop
Sam and Luisa's visit to Campsfield went well. While there, they were reminded of the value of Yoga Without Words, our book for people who speak little or no English.
I have woken up to myself and realised what I want for me, and my life upon release.
This is paying huge dividends, and is contributing to an overall reduction in levels of violence at Glen Parva. Some very challenging young men have been able to use techniques learnt in yoga to control some aspects of their impulsive and violent behaviour.
Simon Cass, HMYOI/RC Glen Parva