This year we held two UK-wide competitions across the prison estate to celebrate World Hepatitis Day.
Art and poetry competitions ran between May and the end of July.
Both competitions encouraged participants to creatively use our mission statement “Leave no one behind” as part of their work.
The competitions gave residents the opportunity to tap into their creative side and either write a poem, story, or song lyrics that encapsulated our mission statement or draw or craft something following the same theme.
The winner of each competition received £30 into their spending account and two runners-up received £10.
More than 50 people from across the prison estate entered the competitions and a team of four judges selected the winners.
Lee Devereux, Southern England and Wales Prisons Manager and competition judge, said: “It was great to see how much effort had been put in and quite emotive to read out some of the written entries. It was great to hear that there is a good understanding of how hepatitis C affects people and that the good news on how easy it is to cure the virus is out there.”
Our creative writing winner was a wonderful poem from a resident at HMP Garth with runners-up from HMP Drake Hall and HMP Garth. Our arts and crafts prize was won by a resident in HMP Berwyn with runners-up from HMP Styal and HMP Garth.
Lee Devereux went to congratulate the arts and crafts winner at HMP Berwyn and the winner was delighted. He had been encouraged to enter the competition by his cellmate, who volunteers as one of our peers.
The winner said it is good to know his artwork is out there and that his young family could see he is “doing something worthwhile with his time inside”.
Find out more about our work across the prison estate.