By The Prison Phoenix Trust CEO Selina Sasse
At the Prison Phoenix Trust, the first half of 2025 has been a time of quiet transformation and steady growth, rooted always in the shared strength of our community.
At our recent Away Day, the depth of connection across The PPT community was powerfully felt. We took time to reflect on how our small staff team has grown, not only in number but in spirit. With skill and care, existing staff have welcomed new colleagues, nurturing the distinctive and deeply held culture of the Trust. Their efforts have brought fresh energy to our work, energy that is already being felt by the people we serve in prisons and beyond.
A special moment this year was our May retreat day. It brought together people across the PPT community: prison yoga teachers, mentors, volunteers, trustees, staff and, most importantly, over 20 people currently in prison and those rebuilding their lives after release.
One participant, Clive, later wrote: “It reminded me that whether alone in my flat or alone in my cell, The PPT is there for me, so I was not alone during the retreat at all.”
This sense of connection, even through locked doors and long distances, is at the heart of our work.
We were deeply moved by the response to our BBC Radio 4 Appeal in June. It was a powerful moment of collective action: from Sue’s courage in sharing her story, to Jeremy Irons lending his voice, to the hundreds of supporters who donated and verdantly shared the message far and wide. Together, the community has so far raised nearly £58,000, including £21,000 of match-funding. A vital boost that allows us to offer more people a path to healing and inner strength.
Yoga Classes in Prison
In a challenging funding environment, we have continued to support yoga classes in 60 prisons across the UK and Ireland. This is a significant achievement in a time of uncertainty, with spending reviews limiting prison budgets for much of the year. Encouragingly, we are seeing a growing appetite for yoga, with new workshops arranged to seed classes at HMPs Cardiff and Ashfield and others in progress. We are also proud to have retained the yoga provision contract at HMP Maidstone for a second year. A vote of confidence in our approach.
Supporting Individual Practice
Self-led practice remains at the core of our mission. In the first six months of the year, we distributed 1,301 packs of resources to support people in their cells and on wings. During Mental Health Awareness Week, our “Give it 10” campaign invited people to try 10 minutes of daily movement, breath and stillness. Over 370 people took part, many taking their very first steps into yoga and meditation.
Alongside this, our 12 volunteers and 4 staff mentors have offered 1-to-1 support through 263 personal letters. For many, these letters are a lifeline. A reminder that someone cares, listens, and believes in their capacity to change.
Digital yoga pilot
This year is an important milestone in our history, as we respond to HMPS’ digital strategy by co-creating a yoga course designed exclusively for use on newly introduced prison laptops. Funded by our financial partner Sir Halley Stewart Trust we are currently running a pilot at HMP Erlestoke with HMP’s Launchpad team. We value the input of Professor Rosie Meek, a prison yoga specialist, who is working with us to build evaluation tools into the design of the course to ascertain the effectiveness of this intervention. Whilst it is a work in progress we were delighted to have celebrity chef and businessman Levi Roots promoting its launch, successfully engaged one in five of the prison’s population.
Influencing the Justice System
We continue to share what we learn from individuals navigating profound change with those shaping policy. This year, we’ve been present at important gatherings including Justice Futures’ Being Human workshops to shift prison paradigms, Justice and Women: A New Direction (hosted by the Weavers Company and Clinks), and The Perrie Lectures, which featured Justice Minister James Timpson and former Lord Chancellor David Gauke. Lisa, a PPT ambassador, with lived experience of prison, joined the team at a House of Lords roundtable on reshaping policy for women.
Having been on the receiving end of our support, she reflected on how she was ‘representing this beautiful, stubbornly passionate, heart-led charity. Honoured to be bringing not just her lived experience, but also the voices of countless women who have sat in those same cells, aching to move, to feel, to heal.’
Our People
Everything we do is made possible by the steadfast commitment of our people. From our Oxford office, a small team coordinates a network that stretches into prisons across the UK and Ireland, creating moments of profound transformation.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we’re able to do more through the expansion of our core team from 6 to 12, almost entirely part-time staff. Our volunteer network continues to grow, with two new office volunteers already contributing and more to come. We’re also looking forward to welcoming four new trustees, who will attend our September meeting, with a view to joining our board.
Our work is strengthened by five volunteer ambassadors who share their stories with courage and honesty, our valued patrons, and volunteer consultants who offer wisdom and direction. The strong engagement is made possible by the dedication of the 50+ specialist prison yoga teachers who travel each week into secure spaces to offer hope, grounding and calm.
Looking Ahead
This year has reminded us that growth is not just about doing more, it’s about deepening our impact, staying true to our values, and holding space for real change.
As we look to the second half of the year, we begin to focus on improving the efficiency of our working practices, to enable us to keep up with the growing demand for our support. Remaining committed to walking alongside those navigating prison and release; helping them discover not just resilience, but purpose, possibility and even peace.