Mark was in HMP Bristol serving his first prison sentence and feeling alone and uncertain about his future. At Christmas all the prisoners were given a gift bag from Sixty-One that included a flyer about MentorMe…

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“I asked a prison officer to get in contact with MentorMe because I needed someone to talk to at that time. MentorMe staff visited me the next week. They got me onto the ManUp course and gave me a mentor who visited me inside. When I got transferred to a prison further away, my mentor stayed in touch. Since being released I have been going to one of the Sixty-One Hubs - it’s great being around a group of guys who’ve all been in prison and support each other – they’re awesome. I now attend the church that runs the Hub too. I just want to say thank you so much for all MentorMe’s help and support - you guys are amazing.”

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Ex-prisoner from HMP Bristol

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Lucy became aware of MentorMe when a support worker suggested that she might benefit from a mentor after her release from prison. She was making a new start in Bristol as she wanted to step away from her drug-taking lifestyle and associates, but didn’t know Bristol or have any friends here. She was matched up with a mentor who met with her every week and offered a listening ear and words of encouragement...

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“MentorMe has supported me so much since leaving prison and re-establishing in the community. Having someone there each week is such a comfort to me - helping me sort out my benefits, going to appointments etc. And it’s helped me to stay clean and, away from substances. It is a brilliant scheme helping ex-offenders rebuild their lives.”

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Lucy has built up a new support network, reconnected with her family, and recently moved into a privately rented property. She is now helping us to set up a church Hub that will specifically support women like her who’ve been in prison and are trying to change their lives.

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Ex-prisoner from HMP Eastwood Park

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Emma was extremely worried about being released from prison - she was an alcoholic who suffered with severe anxiety and agoraphobia. Although she was not from Bristol, MentorMe offered to meet her at the gate and take her to the train station. She walked out of prison with bare feet (in wet weather!) so the first priority was to buy her some boots and take her for a cooked breakfast to calm her nerves. At the train station Emma was told that her travel documentation, issued by the prison, was invalid because it had the wrong date on it, so MentorMe helped her to make alternative travel arrangements.

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Sadly, Emma went back to custody shortly after her release having returned to alcohol as a way of coping. When a member of the team next saw her in prison Emma said “Please do not think that you wasted your time with me that day. If you hadn’t been there to meet me I really think that I would have killed myself”. MentorMe were later able to put Emma in touch with a mentoring organisation that offered support in her local area.

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Ex-prisoner from HMP Eastwood Park