‘I wasn’t religious at the time but it sparked off a meditation practice that helped me to stay sane…' Photo: Quaker Yvonne, courtesy The PPT

‘There’s something quite intimate about writing letters.’

To the letter: Chris Holt of the The Prison Phoenix Trust

‘There’s something quite intimate about writing letters.’

by Chris Holt 2nd June 2023

This year The Prison Phoenix Trust (The PPT), celebrates thirty-five years supporting the spiritual lives of people in prison. It was founded by volunteers and continues to be powered by them – including a significant number who are Quakers. At the heart of The PPT’s work is a deep trust in the power of silence.

One of The PPT’s longest serving volunteers, Yvonne, is a former Quaker chaplain at HMP Grendon. She has been writing letters to people in prison for twenty years. This mentoring by correspondence is one of the core services offered to people in custody, along with yoga classes and specialist resources such as books, DVDs and newsletters.

Letter writers are not pen-friends; they write little about themselves and instead reflect back to the person writing from prison the insights they themselves are experiencing. This allows the writers’ own sense of spirituality to emerge in its own way. ‘The key,’ says Yvonne, ‘is openness and being willing to welcome everyone as they are, to work with what they bring and what is making sense to them. I see my role as creating a space for them of quiet contemplation and compassion for them to turn within.’

Yvonne came into contact with The PPT when she wrote off for some of its meditation and yoga books. These provided a lifeline at a time of personal need. ‘They got me through what was really quite a crisis,’ she recalls.

‘I wasn’t religious at the time but it sparked off a meditation practice that helped me to stay sane… It got me interested in spirituality and religion again. Meditation became a really solid part of my daily routine.’

Yvonne has corresponded with more than fifteen people in prison, continuing many years after some were released. She says she approaches her volunteering as a spiritual practice: ‘I sit for a moment in prayer or meditation before I read the letter. There might be all sorts in the letter – from the profound to the day-to-day. I try to find the most important thing this person wants me to hear. There will usually be one thing I choose to focus on and reflect back to them to encourage their spiritual life to unfold.’

The benefits of this voluntary work are not just for the prisoner. Yvonne – and all who support prisoners in this way – speaks of the rewards they receive from the prisoners’ own insights. ‘The thing that really strikes me is the gratitude, not just for the letter but also for the things in life that they don’t take for granted, such as hearing the sound of traffic, having a comfortable bed, choosing your own food, the feeling of rain on your skin…’

Yvonne’s letter-writing practice has also resonated with her faith. ‘When reading the New Testament, I’m struck by how much of it began as letters. Everything is so quick these days and there’s something quite intimate about writing letters. How special it is to get a letter from someone writing in a non-trivial way – quite a sacred thing. It’s not something we do much anymore. What a privilege it is to write to people in this way.’

Chris is the development lead at The PPT. To find more info on volunteering or supporting The PPT, email all@theppt.org.uk.


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