Meet our Team

We start planning placements before their release. We support residents throughout their AP journey, providing support and interventions, signposting to relevant agencies and working closely with probation practitioners.

We believe that when someone is ready, with the right support, anyone is able to resettle safely and successfully.

We empower residents to make positive changes by providing one-to-one support. This can involve supporting residents to engage with services and with tasks that can be difficult for some, such as making phone calls and attending appointments. Resettlement and Support Officers deliver evening activities such as arts and crafts, bingo and movie nights.

We support residents to make positive choices and to work towards their goals .

I am extremely passionate about recovery and have worked in Drug and Alcohol services and women’s projects for the last 15 years. I cannot imagine being more fulfilled by a role where I can support others to reach their potential, whilst also safeguarding our residents and the wider community. I feel strongly that recovery, whilst complex and challenging, is possible for all, especially when individuals are able to ask for help.

This means that I work with multiple councils and other organisations in and outside of the Reading area. I spend time sourcing accommodation in the community up and down the country for those who do not have a local connection but want a fresh start. For those women that stay in Reading I am able to support them to register at estate agents and attend viewings with them.

I often go to prisons to speak with the women that may come to Elizabeth Fry House and to prison staff to answer any questions that they have and dispel any myths about Approved Premises.

In the time I have worked for Elizabeth Fry I have had the privilege of working with many residents. Accommodation is a big stress factor, especially when working with complex individuals. To be able to support the women, and advocate for them, is one of the reasons that I love working for the charity.

I am able to begin working with residents whilst they are still living at Elizabeth Fry House and this helps us to prepare together for their move on, completing needs assessments and support plans through which residents can meet their goals.

I am able to help residents to learn about what is available to them in the Reading community and promote engagement in leisure pursuits, education, faith groups and facilities such as medical and dental centres, libraries and employment, education or volunteering opportunities.

I work closely not only with my colleagues at the hostels, but Probation workers, Substance Misuse practitioners, Housing Departments, Social Services and Health Care professionals.

For many women, moving to a new area can be a little overwhelming. I aim to prevent women from being socially isolated.

We are very lucky to work closely with Alana House, a women’s only community facility close to the town centre. I spend a few hours there each week, and accompany women to initial assessments, join in with their community café and generally enjoy a safe happy environment which is for women only.

It is extremely satisfying when residents have successfully negotiated the systems and they can look forward to some financial stability.

I thoroughly enjoy my role at the AP and the variety that every day brings.

Before retiring, I was a teacher specialising in the Early Years and have been a magistrate sitting in both adult and family court for over 30 years.

I have a firm belief that everyone deserves a second chance and that we all need a helping hand on occasions. The Charity, with its experienced and committed staff, can provide that helping hand to support women to adjust to life outside of the prison environment, so that they have a greater chance of a successful resettlement back into the community.

I come from a corporate background working mainly in Sales and Marketing, moving eventually into a Talent Role across UK and Europe. I have worked with a lot of Blue Chip companies managing large teams of people implementing strategies on their behalf.

I have been a magistrate since 2008, and sit on both crime and family courts.

I stepped back from full time employment in 2019, and was encouraged by another Magistrate to join the trustees at Elizabeth Fry, where I think my skills I’ve learnt over the years are put to good use.  Elizabeth Fry is a small but very important charity focused on women, and one I feel privileged to be involved with.

I am a retired consultant dermatologist where I was clinical lead for the department. I have also worked in general practice. My speciality and research was in women and children’s problems.

I dealt with patients who were offenders or children of offenders and many people suffering with substance misuse and I feel that everyone deserves a second chance. The more help women have with their second chance the better the outcome should be. Meeting trustees I felt I share the values of Elizabeth Fry Charity offering safety and support to the women residents to improve their mental and physical health aiming for improved lifestyle for them in the long term.

I have been a magistrate for 14 years; initially working in the Adult Criminal Court before becoming a Family Magistrate too. I am also Deputy Chair of Governors of a primary school, where I take Board responsibility for Safeguarding and sit on the Finance Committee.

I have a degree in Japanese and worked briefly in Tokyo before returning to the City, predominantly in marketing and strategy roles for the London Stock Exchange, although that was some time ago!

I was introduced to the work of Elizabeth Fry by a fellow magistrate and was drawn by the idea of getting involved in the ‘other end’ of the criminal justice system. I strongly believe in the principle of rehabilitation and am pleased to play a role in helping women get their lives back on track and reintegrate into society.

I trained as a Chartered Accountant and worked for KPMG throughout my working career, mostly in London but also with periods abroad.  My client facing role helping companies buy and sell businesses included responsibility for staff and other partners.  I have been a magistrate since 2014 sitting in the adult and family courts in Oxford and the Thames Valley.

I was approached by another trustee, who was also a magistrate, to join EFC, and it seemed both a good fit for me and an organisation that I could learn from and hopefully support.

Before retirement in Spring 2017, I was employed for nine years as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Probation, leading a range of national and local inspections in the probation service, prisons and youth offending teams. Prior to joining the Inspectorate, my working career included senior manager positions within the Probation Service, Local Government and the NHS.

I enjoy running, including Saturday morning Park Runs. A season ticket holder with Reading FC, I am a member of St Michael’s Church in Tilehurst.

Throughout my career I have taken an interest in measures designed to keep offenders, and particularly women, out of the Criminal Justice system. For many years I was an appointed  member of the Thames Valley Probation Board. Whilst I was at Reading I successfully supported an application by Probation to the Ministry of Justice for a Day Centre (Alana House)  for women to seek help with a varying range of issues. A former Chair of the Trustees of the Elizabeth Fry Charity was also a member of the Probation Board and, knowing of my interest in assisting offenders, invited me to take up this exceptional role.

With a background in psychology, Ann is also trained as a psychotherapist within humanistic and psychodynamic models. She uses an attachment and trauma-informed approach supported by EMDR, CBT, and other techniques to support the residents she works with.

We practice simple yoga movements and learn mindful breathing techniques, both of which help improve self-esteem and promote a sense of wellbeing. I aim to tailor the class each week to needs of the group, so that it’s open to everyone.

It’s a delight to see people walking out of the class each week looking a little taller than when they walked in.

A music therapist is trained in psychological interventions like a counsellor or psychotherapist but who uses music as part of their tool kit.

In this group we use musical instruments for self expression, chosen songs by the residents to sing and play, song writing activities to explore feelings and we also listen to songs or pre recorded music that may hold particular memories or a space in time significant to that person’s life. The women gain a musical outlet where they can explore themselves and their vulnerabilities. There is also laughter, joyfulness and a space to connect with others in a meaningful way.

I find the music therapy group work at Elizabeth Fry Charity extremely rewarding. The positive feedback from residents and staff has shown how music connects, and how it can be drawn upon for support and finding a way through.