The self-change course helped me look at why I offended and what the triggers were. If I hadn’t been able to read, I couldn’t have done the course
Jimmy
Shannon Trust would like to say a massive thank you to Radio 4 listeners, who generously donated to our Radio 4 appeal. With your help we raised an amazing £62,369 to enable people in prison who can’t read, to unlock the power of reading. Our appeal shared the story of Jimmy. Because he couldn’t read, Jimmy had found it impossible to join prison education classes, find out about help available to change his behaviour or keep in touch with his family. He wanted to learn to read, but didn’t know where to start.
Jimmy was helped by Ben, a prisoner who had been trained as a mentor by Shannon Trust. Ben worked with Jimmy on a one-to-one basis, using reading resources such as Shannon Trust’s Turning Pages reading manuals and reading books. Learning to read opened the door for Jimmy to gain new qualifications and complete special courses that has helped him to face his past and change his behaviour. It also enabled Jimmy to share the joy of reading with his children when they visited. Jimmy also went on to mentor other prisoners.
This year, with the help of Radio 4 listeners Shannon Trust has supported 2,742 others like Jimmy to learn to read, opening the doors to education, rehabilitation and employment. We have trained over 1,204 prisoner mentors to support men and women in prison to transform their lives. We have also provided 5119 of our Turning Pages reading manuals and 2932 Turning Pages reading books that help people new to reading to discover the joy of reading right from the beginning of their reading adventure. Additionally, we have recruited and trained 32 new volunteers. They’re now supporting and training Mentors, and working with prison staff to ensure everyone who needs help to learn to read, has the chance to learn with the Shannon Trust Reading Plan.
We are tremendously grateful to Radio 4 listeners for supporting our work. Thank you for helping to unlock the power of reading for people like Jimmy and for future generations.
You can find out more about the charity