A Change of Scene for Young People who Struggle to Cope in a School Environment.

What a lovely way to spend a Friday afternoon, petting alpacas, black-faced sheep and goats. Not to mention giant tortoises and a lovely pig called Truffle!. Suzanne and I were being shown around Change of Scene’s assisted outdoor learning facility near Farnham by their CEO, Pam Robinson. They have been based here for 17 years working with young people who struggle to cope in a school environment. Working 1-2-1 with a key worker, learning to care for the 16 species of animals helps them gain the skills and confidence necessary to return to sustainable education and break the cycle of exclusion. For the last couple of years there has been a growing seem of concern as there is a need to depart form their current location in the next few months and despite a number of near misses an alternative location appeared to be beyond their reach. But fortunately, following publicity gained from a BBC a new home will shortly be unveiled, bringing a huge sense of relief to the team at Change of Scene and the 165 young people past and present who have benefitted from spending time with them.

Positive Prisoner Rehabilitation in Kent – The Glasshouse.

Suzanne and I were delighted to be invited by The High Sheriff of Kent, Jonathan Neame, and his wife Lucie to accompany them on a visit to The Glasshouse; a charity that grows and nurtures extraordinary plants with women serving in UK prisons providing horticultural training and employment support with the aim to reduce reoffending and support second chances. We had the opportunity to meet Katie, the CEO, and with women who were on a programme devised by The Glasshouse. They work four days a week on release from HMP East Sutton Park, returning to the prison each evening. They learn transferrable skills working in the plant shop in Cranbrook, the nearby warehouse, which stores the plants short term before delivering to either online clients or  one of their 34 office clients up in London, or they travel up to London to carry out plant maintenance services on the plants bought by their office clients. 

At any one time The Glasshouse will have 5 or 6 female prisoners going through their programme and the intention is to have a job available for them on their release. To date they have helped 30 women and none have reoffended. One lady who now works for them explained how her life was turned around by the skills taught whilst in prison and the offer a job on release.

The Glasshouse in 2024 and 2025 exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show each time winning a gold medal with the staff and prisoners working side by side. This year they worked with Jo Thompson, one of the UK’s celebrated garden designers, who created The Glasshouse Garden, incorporating some of the features the women said they missed in prison including running water, fragrant smells and the beauty of nature. The installation has now been mover and installed at HMP Down View in Surrey where it can be enjoyed in the open part of the prison.

A Visit to an Open Prison in Kent

Suzanne and I have visited three prisons already in Surrey during my Shrieval year so far but on Friday July 25th we were invited by the High Sheriff of Kent, Jonathan Neame, and his wife Lucie to accompany them on a visit to HMP East Sutton Park an open prison near Maidstone in Kent. It is housed in over 80 acres including a Jacobean manor house and has no walls or fences. Women at East Sutton Park generally have three years or less to serve on their sentence and they are given the opportunity to work on the farm at the prison or to go out on day release with local employers; giving them more freedom and interaction with people ahead of leaving prison. Currently there are 80 women at East Sutton Park and over 60 are participating in ROTL (Release on Temporary Licence) schemes. The women are released four days a week returning each evening to the prison. 

The prison governor, Amy Dixon, is also the prison governor of HMP Downview in Surrey and The Glasshouse charity (which we had visited earlier in the day) has been involved with both prisons. They work with some of the women at East Sutton Park who are allowed out on ROTL, teaching them employability skills and helping to prepare them for life after release. The Glasshouse teaches horticulture skills to 5 or 6 women at a time and offers them permanent employment on their release. They are looking to expand their operations to other women’s prisons where ROTL schemes operate and hopefully this will include HMP Downview.

https://www.prisonadvice.org.uk/prisons/hmp-east-sutton-park

Royal Holloway Graduation

Graduation Ceremony at Royal Holloway, University of London.

I was delighted to be part of the presentation party at the graduation ceremony at Royal Holloway, University of London, this morning. The School of Business and Management students were graduating and harking from an accounting and business background myself it was great to see so many happy faces from the Class of 2025. Professor Julie Sanders, Vice- Chancellor and Principal, addressed the graduates and all were enthusiastically applauded by family and friends on collecting their certificates. We then all took part in a photo shoot in front of the impressive college buildings where I also had the pleasure of meeting Colossus the Bear, the University mascot, who was the only one wearing a more sweat-inducing outfit than myself!

Graduation Ceremony – Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey.

I was delighted to be invited to attend and join the procession for the graduation ceremony on Friday July 18th held at Guildford Cathedral for those graduating from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey.

Such ceremonies are always a joyous occasion with proud friends and family in attendance; but this ceremony also had special significance as Dr Julie Llewelyn, past High Sheriff, was being awarded a Honorary Degree for her services to Surrey.

I have known Julie for a number of years through our work with the Community Foundation for Surrey and it was a privilege to be in attendance for this well deserved recognition. Jim Glover, also a past High Sheriff, recent Pro-Chancellor of the University and past Chair of the Community Foundation was also there to join the celebrations.

The Kings Award for Voluntary Service 2025 – Nominees Reception.

Last week Suzanne and I attended a reception at Loseley Park to recognise the nominees of the Kings Award for Voluntary Service 2025. This annual event was hosted by the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey – Michael More Molyneux, who was also joined by the Vice Lieutenant – Mary Cresswell, the Chairman of Surrey County Council and local Mayors. 

This year the 16 nominees are – Artventure, Banstead village in Bloom, Camberley Care Trust, Camberley Nepalese Gurkha Association, Cranleigh Arts Centre, Epsom Repair Café, Ewhurst Secret Gardens,  Friends of Albury Old Saxon Church, Hale Community and Youth Centre, Phoenix Cultural Centre, Space2Grow, Spelthorne Dementia Support Group, Surplus to Supper, the National Honey Show, Voluntary Support North Surrey and Sutton Vision.

It was a great honour to meet and chat to so many Surrey people who give up their time for the good of the community and join the Lord Lieutenant in congratulating and thanking them for their commitment. 

If you are part of a voluntary group and would like to  find out more about the awards and the nomination process, please visit –  https://www.surreylieutenancy.org/the-kings-award-for-voluntary-service/.

Artventure Trust
Banstead Village in Bloom
Camberley Care Trust
Camberley Nepalese Gurkha Association
Cranleigh Arts Centre
Epsom Repair Cafe
Surplus to Supper
Friends of Albury Old Saxon Church
Hale Community & Youth Centre
Phoenix Cultural Centre
Space2Grow
Spelthorne Dementia Support Group
Ewhurst Secret Gardens
The National Honey Show
Voluntary Support North Surrey
Sutton Vision

Photos by Andy Newbold.

An Amazing Charity that Offers Support to People affected by Cancer and their Families.

Suzanne and I have a number of friends who sadly have received cancer diagnoses. The news brings such terrible stress and at times feelings of hopelessness which is why charities like The Fountain Centre are such a vital support providing all encompassing help and compassion. We visited their Centre which sits just alongside the cancer care department at the Royal Surrey Hospital; but with comfy sofas, chairs and a relaxed atmosphere it is easy to forget you are still within the hospital. They also have a number of therapy rooms, a large space for group gatherings and a wonderfully serene outdoor garden space.

They support anyone affected by cancer from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond, caring for the whole family. They provide a wide range of services including complementary therapies, psychological support, ward visits, exercise services, benefits advice, group meditation, creative art, yoga and well-being classes and also so the respite of just somewhere to drop in and find some solace.

We were shown round by Anne Pike, Kas Girdler (pictured), and Danielle Freeth, all of whom are enthusiastic and empathetic ambassadors for the wonderful work The Fountain Centre undertakes.

With over 120 new referrals a month, they have a large number of cancer-affected people to support; undertaking over 10,500 one to one sessions a year in addition to the various other services. They are supported in their work by some 130 volunteers without whom it would be impossible for them to help the number of people that come through their doors.

As with many charities, there is a constant pressure to raise funds to support the growing number of cases that they help. For anyone that has been, or is currently affected by cancer, please see if The Fountain Centre can offer support and please in turn support The Fountain Centre in any way you can. https://www.fountaincentre.org

Wates & NESCOT – Delivering Summer Programmes for Students at Risk of Becoming NEET.

As many of you know my Shrieval theme this year is to help reduce the number of young people in Surrey from becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and I was therefore delighted to be invited by Su Pickerill, Head of Social Value at Wates to attend their summer programme which was being hosted by NESCOT.

Wates have been delivering summer programmes for young people for eight years, usually as a residential course at a university for sixth form students, but this year, aligning with their new direction of “Brilliant Locally” they invited some 40 Year 10 students at risk of becoming NEET from six state schools in Surrey to a week of confidence building and skills training.

The week started with some get-to-know you activities, and a brief address from me, before Adam Corbally, a motivational speaker, with a back story of his difficult teenage years, captivated the young audience. The remainder of the week includes timber structure building, Go Ape team building activity, career insights and presentation skills.

It is so refreshing to see how Wates, and some other Surrey based companies, are reaching out to young people and offering opportunities that can’t be provided within the school classroom. It is vitally important that intervention measures are deployed as early as possible to help young people at risk of becoming NEET; before their hearts and minds have been lost, and programmes such as this could have a profound effect on young people’s lives.

Shawfield Primary School – ‘Shine Points Awards’.

It is always enjoyable putting on the Court Dress to visit a primary school and Suzanne and I had a lovely morning on July 7th visiting Shawfield Primary School when gold and platinum awards were given to pupils who had amassed 150 and 200 Shine Points respectively over the course of the year. A Shine Point is awarded for actions, deeds and attitudes that are deemed noteworthy including good effort in their work, good manners, caring attitude, staying on task and putting the school values into action.

The assembly hall was standing room only as many proud parents other family members and friends looked on as the prizes were awarded; and I was privileged to firstly be asked by the Head Teacher – Stephen Corcoran, to address the assembly and then to hand out the platinum awards. I like the concept of Shine Points; it is not about being the best overall, but to be the best version of yourself, something we should all strive to be.

FareShare – Turning Food Waste into a Lifeline.

I was delighted to finally visit the Fareshare facility in Guildford with Suzanne on Friday July 4th and meet with Dan Slatter (Chief Executive) and Suzie Maine (Vice-Chair). As Chair of Guildford Philanthropy, I had been aware of the long search Fareshare had to find suitable accommodation from which to deliver food supplies to charities in the Guildford area. The warehouse space together with two vans enables them to provide this vital service. Some 85% of the food supplies they receive comes from relationships the national office has with large food chains and the balance comes from local food companies and donations from customers at local supermarkets. They encourage charities seeking food donation to sign up and they provide supplies based on weight, with the charities paying 20-30p per kilogram for whatever is available that particular week; a massive discount on both wholesale and retail prices. They are also very keen that as little food that they receive as possible is wasted, and currently less than 2% of what they receive ends up not fit for human consumption. To achieve this in some cases they will engage a local company to turn any surplus raw produce (such as tomatoes or cauliflowers) into tinned soup. 

It was great to see them up and running in Guildford and providing such a sadly necessary service to the local community.