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This December, we’re taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge to raise £15,000 for the Family and Friends Request Show on National Prison Radio. And, for one week only, every donation will be doubled.
When someone goes to prison, their family goes through it too. Around 200,000 children in England and Wales have a parent sent to prison every year. For many families, staying in touch can be difficult because of distance, travel costs and limited visiting opportunities. Around 70% of people lose contact with friends and family when someone goes to prison.
But keeping those relationships alive really matters. People in prison who maintain family ties are 39% less likely to reoffend. For children, contact with a parent in prison can also help reduce feelings of isolation and support their mental health and self-esteem.
That’s where the Family and Friends Request Show comes in. Broadcast weekly on National Prison Radio, it’s our only show that can also be heard outside prison, helping families stay connected even when they can’t be together.
Through messages, song requests and voice notes, the show gives people in prison a way to share news, celebrate birthdays and let their loved ones know they’re thinking of them.
The show is made with people who understand these experiences themselves. Women at HMP Styal help produce and present the programme, sharing messages from families and making the show each week.
The show also gives women at HMP Styal the chance to learn how to make radio, develop new skills and gain experience in broadcasting.
For some, like Toni, that journey continues after release, with opportunities to work with National Prison Radio as paid presenters and producers.
This is particularly important when only 4% of women leaving prison find work within six weeks of release. We want to help women build on the skills they’ve developed in prison and take their next steps into employment.
This December, we’re taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge, and aiming to raise £15,000 to help keep the Family and Friends Request Show on air.
From 12pm on Tuesday 1st December until 12pmnon Tuesday 8th December, every donation will be doubled.
Your donation will help us keep families connected through prison radio and create more opportunities for women to learn new skills and find work after prison.
If you can, please donate via the big blue button below. Thank you.