Recoop staff

Jon joined Recoop as Project Manager at HMP Leyhill in December 2014 to further develop and explore new projects within the prison to support older residents. Focus has moved into rehabilitation and resettlement of older service users, preparing them for release into the community, in many cases after decades within the criminal justice system. Day-to-day this means running a community centre (The Lobster Pot) within the prison and working extensively one-to-one with individuals who require more specific support. Jon’s career prior to this role was varied having spent nearly 25 years in finance undertaking roles in sales, corporate social responsibility, business development and operational management. More recently he has worked for a disease focused charity and the NHS.

Paul has spent a vast majority of his career in Business Development within the Financial Services and Mortgage Industries. However, as a result of the Credit Crunch in 2009 he went on to spend 5 years with G4S as Relationship Manager. G4S held the Electronic Monitoring contract with MoJ at that time. He returned to Mortgages again in 2014 as Account Manager with Bank of Ireland.

His latest position was as an Usher in Nottingham Magistrates Court and he is also an active member of the Salvation Army in Nottingham.

Paul is now looking forward to joining Recoop as Partnerships & Training Consultant, so he will be able to utilise his great experience in Business Development and the Criminal Justice system, with his Salvation Army background.

Sarah joined Recoop in January 2020 as a Buddy Project Manager, initially covering HMPs Wymott and Preston. Her background in lecturing in further education has covered working with young and ex-offenders, SEN needs and refugee learners and incorporating health and well-being into main curriculum areas, as well as developing curriculums based on creative writing practices.

Tracy joined Recoop in April 2013 having mainly worked within the private sector and her last position was with G4S who managed the Electronic Monitoring Contract on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. Working in partnership with other Criminal Justice Agencies, she was responsible for strategy, planning, training and implementation of risk management procedures.

Tracy is Recoop’s Senior Partnerships & Training Consultant. With a national remit, she has responsibility for Business Development, Consultancy, Operational Delivery and Training in Prisons and Approved Premises. She has managed a number of successful projects on behalf of HMPPS and the Department of Health, the most recent being a research project which assessed the need and ability of prisons and approved premises to adapt regimes to meet the needs of older offenders.

Paul has been working within the Criminal Justice arena for the last 23 years in a variety of roles from within the public, private and voluntary sectors. These include the management of a training rehabilitation centre for prolific young adult offenders, a police officer within Hampshire Constabulary and supporting Criminal Justice agencies in their use of electronically monitored curfews (G4S-tagging) as a risk management and sentencing tool for offenders.

He joined the Recoop team in 2012 and led on a HMPPS funded Capacity Building Project to support prisons and probation trusts in the development of partnerships with community and voluntary sector organisations to increase the range of services being offered to the older population. He stepped into the Chief Officer role in 2014. He visited and supported an international piece of research in New York setting up community support services for older offenders moving back to the city.

Alma finished her studies in child psychology in Amsterdam before coming to Britain. For many years she worked as co-manager in communities for children/adults with learning difficulties and/or challenging behaviour, after which she worked with people overcoming addictions.

Following training in counselling, bereavement support work and group facilitation, Alma started working for RECOOP as Creative Group Facilitator at HMP Eastwood Park for women. In addition to offering 1:1 sessions with the “Rubies” (the over 50s group at EWP) Alma volunteers for Cruse Bereavement Support and Restorative Justice – all at Eastwood Park – as well as supervising a group of 12 Cruse volunteers. She also supervises one member of staff at EWP plus the Safer Custody Orderlies and is trained in trauma work and addressing self-harm issues.

Her groups in prison have won several Koestler Platinum and Gold Awards and she holds a strong belief that artistic and creative activities are valuable tools for expression and potential healing. Recently she has started a new creative, therapeutic social group for women in the community, taking in women who have mental health issues, addictions, bereavement or who are ex-offenders.

Alma gives public talks and lectures about her work and was awarded a South West Equalities Award, nominated by the Governor at HMP Eastwood Park.

Sam joined Recoop at the beginning of 2020 as a HMPPS CFO3 Case Manager. Sam will be helping to support participants at both HMPs Portland and Channings Wood and also Yeovil community. Sam was previously working for Catch 22 and prior to that was a prison officer at HMP Weare and HMP Portland.

Jane has worked for Recoop since October 2009 as part-time Administrator, offering both Board and Team members administrative support. She is also responsible for the development and production of ‘food for thought’ Distraction Packs, maintaining the website, marketing and works closely with the Commercial team in developing training.

Nicola joined Recoop in 2011 as a volunteer. A year later she started to work in the newly founded Lobster Pot, a community centre for the over 50s at HMP Leyhill. There is a particular focus on resettlement and support for men progressing towards release. Much of the work involves conversational support to residents many of whom are institutionalised after decades within the criminal justice system and have serious mental health, self-harm or illness related issues. Nicola finds that working for a charity means the men share their concerns and issues in greater detail and more openly which means she can support their progress and refer on to the right support services and agencies. Each day is very different at HMP Leyhill as the men have such varying needs, anxieties and issues.

Nicola has a background in education and writing for therapeutic purposes.

Prior to working for Recoop, Liz worked for 24 years in the mental health and welfare arena which included MIND and The British Red Cross, working in both a practitioner and senior management role.

In 2009, funded by NHS and Age Concern, Liz started working for Recoop, leading a Health Champion prison project, training prisoners to help fellow inmates to feel valued and to recognise the importance of their own health.

She introduced Over 50’s forums into the Devon prisons to raise the collective voice of this group and helped them and the prisons to overcome some of the day-to-day challenges they faced within a difficult environment.

Liz also established Recoop’s first Community Support service in Plymouth, tackling social exclusion barriers, health and wellbeing and helping build community links for prison leavers.

Over the last 7 years she has been working with Devon County Council and the Devon Prison Cluster to develop and deliver the Buddy Support Worker Training Programme and is overall manager of the Devon prison cluster service. More recently she has been working nationally with prisons to adopt recognised social care peer support good practice initiatives.

Liz was awarded an MBE for Services to Older Prisoners in Devon.

Having worked for Recoop since 2012, Sandra continues to be impressed by how the organisation has grown and diversified in many directions to meet identified needs. She has been involved in the development of rehabilitation programmes in Centres for Older Prisoners in both Dorset and Wiltshire, providing programmes and activities tailored to meet the needs of the various prisoner groups in each prison and continues to support the men at HMP Erlestoke.