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Literacy Innovation Fund

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The Literacy Innovation Fund, funded by the Ministry of Justice, sees us delivering a wide range of literacy initiatives in six prisons across England.

About the Literacy Innovation Fund

Supporting men and women with their literacy journey whilst in prison

Funded by the Ministry of Justice, our work within the Literacy Innovation Fund sees us delivering a wide range of initiatives in six prisons across England:

  • HMP Guys Marsh (Dorset)
  • HMP Swaleside (Kent)
  • HMP Elmley (Kent)
  • HMP Humber (Hull)
  • HMP Leeds (Leeds)
  • HMP Askham Grange (York)

This two-year evidence gathering project aims to identify what works in relation to literacy as enrichment.

Designing and delivering initiatives that sit outside of the formal education offer

The aim of this work is to design and deliver initiatives that sit outside of the formal education offer in a prison, and therefore reach people who may not be accessing English classes. Monthly workshops cover anything from spoken word or lyric writing, through to book discussion or storytelling workshops for children, and are open to all.

Creating safe and creative spaces for all

We aim to create safe, creative spaces in prisons in which participants can improve their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. We work through partners in each prison to deliver activity in a range of settings such as the library, the gym and the chapel – reaching people where they are and showing that literacy is a feature of every area of our lives.

We also provide book donations, offer prison-wide resources and regularly record workshops for broadcast on National Prison Radio as part of this exciting project.

Want to find out more?

If you would like to find out more, please email: criminaljustice@literacytrust.org.uk

To gain an insight into what some of our sessions involve and the impact they can have for participants, read our blog following world famous percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie's visit to HMP Askham Grange, where she demonstrated the power of music to communicate meaning, spark conversation, evoke emotion and inspire reflection.