Sarah – I've got everything I've ever wanted

Proudly holding her trophy and posing with the Board of Directors for photographs, Sarah could barely believe she'd been named 'New Starter of the Year'. In a few months she'd rapidly progressed from an apprentice to store manager.

But just 12 months ago, Sarah was in Askham Grange prison serving a five-year sentence.

"I didn't want to be alive. I didn't have anyone in my life I could turn to and I couldn't see any sort of future at all. I thought I'd end up in the gutter,” said Sarah. “One day the Head of Education asked me to attend a meeting where a representative from Timpson was coming in to Askham to recruit people. That's when I met Dennis. A few weeks later he came back with an area manager to give me a second interview and they offered me a job in Leeds."

The Timpson Foundation

Dennis Phillips, head of the Timpson Foundation, works with 65 prisons across the UK. With over 90 colleagues working in Timpson and Max Spielmann stores on Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) and working full-time after their release, the Timpson Foundation has shown that what they do is not only good for society, but good for business.

Dennis explains: "I work closely with the Governors and Resettlement Teams within the prisons to carry out risk assessments and recruit people with the right personalities to work for us. They work for us on ROTL, travelling out of prison to work five days a week, including Saturday, and we train them with all the skills they'll need. On release they have a full-time job with us and if they do need any assistance with getting together a deposit for accommodation or help to buy a fridge or some furniture, we'll help with that too."

Alongside the Timpson Foundation, there are also three successful Timpson training academies in Wandsworth, Liverpool and Forrest Bank prisons, and a Max Spielmann academy in New Hall prison.

Sharing expertise

Sarah travelled from Askham Grange to work at Max Spielmann in Yorkshire for six months. Upon her release, the Foundation supported Sarah to move to a store in the North West, where she was quickly promoted to store manager.

Sarah said: "I've got everything I've ever wanted. I've built a relationship back up with my foster parents, I rent my own house and I've got a great job that I absolutely love and know is going places if I keep working hard. I truly never believed my life would end up like this at all, and it's all because of the support I've had from Timpson."

Sarah plans to become more closely involved in the work of the Foundation in the coming years, helping people get the same opportunity she received.

Through the Business In The Community forum, the Timpson Foundation is now working with other businesses to share their expertise and encourage them to work in a similar way.

Dennis is working closely with these companies, taking them in to prisons, educating them in Timpson’s simplistic approach and explaining details such as risk assessments, disclosures and release plans.

Dennis has already conducted interviews on behalf of some of these companies and employed 12 people for them as a result. He will be expanding his work with more businesses in the coming months.

Only around 10% of the people we work with re-offend

Dennis adds: "Our retention rate through the Foundation is phenomenal, and that's because of the support we give people. Specifically for colleagues who have come through ROTL with us, which includes some lifers, our retention rate is 96%. Without doubt, we're reducing the re-offending rate – only around 10% of the people we work with re-offend. As businesses we can all do our bit to help get people working and off benefits, paying tax, and get their lives back on track.

"Someone like Sarah is living proof that what we do is good for society and good for business. You can see she took on the opportunity, worked hard and thoroughly deserves to be where she is today."

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