Change Grow Live CGL, is a charity funded by councils and local authorities to support the Probation Service. I have been a part of CGL since November 2019, after beginning my Offender Management course at Staffordshire University.

CGL offer a variety of services that supports offenders in custody and in the community. One of the support strategies that they have in place is greeting prisoners at the gate on their release date, to then transport them to their probation, housing appointment or simply just taking them home.

However, with the current pandemic CGL have had to change their support strategies to fit in with Government guidelines. We are no longer transporting people to their appointments or chosen destination, alternatively we are providing them with masks, email contacts to pass on to their probation officer if they require further support in the community, and a bus ticket for their travel home or to get to the train station.

I have been providing this ongoing support throughout this current pandemic at HMP Foston Hall and have noticed that a majority of the women are released with no money, a black bag with minimal amount of clothing finding themselves with only one night of accommodation.

I feel that it is really important that we provide the woman who are released into a society facing a life-threatening virus with some basic hygiene items. I feel that if these ladies don’t have enough money to maintain their hygiene, it is not only a case of poor hygiene but a life that could be taken by covid19.

I would like to raise funds to provide these ladies with travel bags with toiletries essential such as toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, spray, water etc…. this would enable these ladies to maintain good hygiene until they have arranged their benefits.