To celebrate the National Year of Reading, we teamed up with The Stratford Literacy Festival and The Shannon Trust to host a story-writing workshop at HMP Channings Wood. Our goal? To help a group of men write original stories for their own children. 📚✍️

Many participants started out worried that they lacked the confidence or imagination to write. But, guided by two brilliant writers, Annie and Patrick, they pushed past those doubts and created a wonderful variety of tales—from a polar bear who didn’t like the cold to a magic bottle of bubbles.
To bring their work to life, the facilitators typed up the stories and bound them into the beautiful, A4 card books you see in the photo.

The feedback we received was a powerful reminder of why we do this work:
🗣️ "One of the best things I've ever done anywhere... everyone involved was fully engrossed throughout the day—an achievement considering the environment."
🗣️ "It was the best day I've had since being back in prison. It inspired me to pick up a pen and do more writing."
🗣️ "My final piece far exceeded my expectations."
A huge thank you to Annie, Patrick, and Charlotte for proving that storytelling can unlock potential, bridge distances, and change lives.