HMP Stocken prison governor says thank you to 'hidden heroes'

Tuesday, September 29, marks the first national Hidden Heroes Day, launched by the Butler Trust of which the HRH Princess Royal is Patron.

This day celebrates the work and bravery of prison and probation staff during the coronavirus pandemic. We’ve clapped for our carers and thanked our NHS, this day is an opportunity for us to thank those keyworkers who are hidden behind prison walls and continue to keep us safe.

Our local and only prison is HMP Stocken, a category C male prison in Stretton, Rutland. Governor Neil Thomas, along with 450 staff, work every hour of every day to manage risks, rehabilitate and protect our community.

Not only have they been working behind the wall throughout lockdown, they’ve also stepped up to support our community in other ways.

During March, staff supported Rutland Foodbank in delivering food parcels to those in need who no longer had access to public transport.

They donated materials for scrubs for Rutland Memorial Hospital and raised money for their local care home by walking 16,000 miles as a whole prison to raise funds.

The money raised brought digital tablets and garden games to keep the elderly residents busy and in virtual contact with family.

Although their bicycle repair workshop was closed, staff pulled together to refurbish a number of bikes for the Action for Children charity.

After the prison were gifted with a thousand Easter eggs, staff took one and then paid the rest forward by donating them to local schools, hospitals and care homes.

In honour of Hidden Heroes Day and to say a thank you to all the staff at HMP Stocken for all their hard work and support during the coronavirus lockdown, Governor Thomas has written this open letter...

Tuesday, September 29, marks the first national ‘Hidden Heroes Day’.

I am pleased to say this is the first time an event is being held to celebrate the contribution of our keyworkers in prisons and probation.

As governor of HMP Stocken in Stretton, I wanted to write to you and tell you how proud I am of my team and give you a small insight into the vital work they do to protect the public and change lives.

Hidden behind our walls, wire and bars Stocken holds over 1,000 men in custody convicted of a wide variety of serious crimes.

With a staffing group of around 450, Stocken is actually about the size of the village of Ryhall.

We are truly a 24/7 - 365 days-a-year operation, always on duty but often unseen by the public that we serve.

No day is ever the same for us, with typically one officer to every 30 men, we patrol the landings acting as policemen, social workers, paramedics, negotiators, firefighters and guidance councillors.

Often we fulfil more than one of these roles in a single shift.

We patch up the broken and damaged, set boundaries and role model good behaviours, inspire the men to achieve more and help the victims of crime to sleep more soundly in their beds.

It is one of the toughest but most rewarding careers on offer.

A prison is a community in which you will find every trade and profession.

Probation officers, psychologists and admin staff work tirelessly to change criminal behaviour, prevent further crimes and protect victims. Our chaplaincy team care for every soul whilst our gym instructors take care of prisoners’ bodies.

We have a full GP surgery staffed by a dedicated team of medical staff, drug workers, pharmacists and mental health professionals. They deal daily with some of the most complex health needs in society.

A school of teachers and vocational instructors help our men to progress from below primary school standards of English and maths to having degrees and vocational qualifications.

Not to mention the small army of chefs and stores, cleaners and facilities staff that are the backbone of the operations of our prison.

We are the weight of force behind the whole criminal justice system and from my experience they are some of the toughest, bravest, kindest and most resilient public servants you will ever meet.

Thank you to my team, you are an inspiration and I am honoured to serve you as your Governor.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic we have been proud to serve the people of Rutland and Stamford.

We helped run the local foodbank, staff and prisoners raised funds to support our local care homes, we clapped together and donated Easter eggs and scrubs to our NHS key workers and to the children of our brave service men and women.

We donated bicycles to local children’s charities and day-in day-out they came on shift to the close confines of our jail; while the pandemic caused great tragedy in our communities, they did their duty and they did it well.

We are Rutland’s hidden heroes and we will always be here for you.

Neil Thomas Governor