Bishop of Blackburn lobbies PM Gordon Brown for crisis funding

3:04pm Thursday 15th May 2008

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Prime Minister Gordon Brown is being lobbied by Lancashire's most senior Anglican clergyman fearing a funding crisis will sabotage an acclaimed prisoners' family support scheme in the county.

Failure to develop a pilot project which forms a key component in cutting re-offending rates, will see staff redundancies and church links jeopardised in four Lancashire prisons.

Up to £600,000 is needed over the next three years to continue the Family Days and Support Project, which supports 180 prisoners' families, including 360 vulnerable children, each year in the county.

Work with numerous agencies in prisons and local communities includes Family Days that help keep prisoners' families together, and encouraging and supporting prisoners' resettlement in the family home while sentences are served.

Gordon Wardman, the scheme's deputy manager, said: "The project has become an integral part of the prison. We are being approached to help out in a variety of ways to aid the resettlement of prisoners and assist their families through a difficult period in their lives."

The Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Rev Nicholas Reade, said: "This vital work, showing Christian care for vulnerable families and meeting social priorities aimed at reducing re-offending, deserves adequate financial support.

"Figures are modest when set against the cost of crime and the personal investment by our diocesan staff and dozens of volunteers. I hope those holding purse strings answer our diocesan concern with funding to develop this essential and encouraging project."

The pilot project was launched in 2005 and has grown rapidly through Blackburn Diocese's BSR/Grassroots social support department. It now includes more than 100 volunteers working with prisoners and their families, and a further 40 being trained.