The massive contribution made by an increasing number of volunteers to the work of Prison Fellowship England & Wales is celebrated in the latest edition of its monthly newsletter Voices –published this week.

 It is packed with stories covering the core activity of Prison Fellowship celebrating everything from prayer and letter writing to the successful Sycamore Tree initiative.

As National Volunteering Week (1-7 June) which takes as its theme ‘Celebrating and Inspiring’ begins in earnest today, the story of Lyn Connolly tells how speaking on the Sycamore Tree course has helped in her rehabilitation after the murder of her own son is a poignant and powerful testimony.

She writes: “For most offenders on Sycamore Tree, the most powerful element of the programme is when a ‘surrogate victim’ comes in on week 3 to talk through how crime has impacted their lives. During this session, offenders have an opportunity to express their remorse - some write letters or poems and others create works of art or craft in order to do this.”

 Meanwhile, Liverpool-based Jean Hughes has been a letter writer to inmates for the past 6 years. In the new edition of Voices she writes: “Sometimes I receive poems and prayers which inmates have written themselves, which can be very moving, or ones they have read and found helpful. I also receive drawings which express their feelings.”

There is also an update on the recently launched Patchwork Quilt which is updated daily with stories of life and faith

(www.pfew.org.uk) - one of the latest stories is printed below.

Prison Fellowship England and Wales works with inmates and prison staff right across the country and seeks to change lives through its work.

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

The latest edition is available by pdf from prisonfellowship@media33.co.uk

 A latest story from the Patchwork Quilt

I was a drug addict and drug dealer for 11 years of my adult life and I started going to prison at the age of 15 – I was in and out all my life. I am 32 years of age now and I first came into contact with Prison Fellowship when I started going to Chapel in prison. The thing that most attracted me was the non-judgmental way and friendliness of the volunteers. While I was in prison or living homeless, I was always treated like I had an untreatable disease, so to come across someone who didn’t know me but cared for me was good.

They helped me trust Jesus. I am now 2 years free of drugs and I work in the drug and alcohol field. I have a 2-bedroom house and all this is within 12 months of leaving prison. I have contact with Prison Fellowship every week and they have supported me in prayer and life in general.