Founded in 1956, New Bridge Foundation works to support people in prison to resettle back into the community after release. Over the years we have run a variety of additional projects to support people to this end, including Through The Gate programmes and family support programmes. However our core offering since our inception has been a befriending service delivered by volunteers, which we continue to run today.
How It Works
Volunteers are trained to become befrienders and then matched with a person in prison with whom they then exchange letters (about once a fortnight). We also organize visits to the prison 3-4 times a year.
Volunteers receive full training and ongoing support via our monthly volunteer support group meetings - these are a friendly and supportive space to update on how things are going with your prisoner, and to ask advice from more experienced volunteers. To ensure safety and protection of personal information, volunteers use a pseudonym while writing and visiting.
People in prison who do not have any visits from family or friends have much worse outcomes: increased rates of self-harm; increased likelihood of reoffending on release; and sadly, increased rates of suicide. Connecting with the prisoners through letters and visits can
- reaffirm the person’s sense of self-worth and feeling of belonging in any community
- help to aid successful reintegration after release, reducing reoffending
- combat loneliness and improve the mental health of those serving long prison sentences
We are looking for compassionate, empathetic and committed people to join our volunteering community, supporting isolated people in prison by providing a social connection and a bridge to the outside world.
