The Hardman Directory aims to provide up-to-date information on the resources (in particular financial resources) available to prisoners, those serving sentences in the community, prison leavers and to those who support them, across the UK. This is a guide primarily for prisoners however many of the organisations included also provide grants or assistance to a wider group of people.
Many years ago I would receive a significant number of letters from prisoners, and people supporting prisoners, asking if The Hardman Trust could help provide money for a wide range of purposes.
They were also writing to charities that I knew no longer existed or which didn't fund individuals, and so they were wasting their limited resources on the paper and the stamps. It must also have been demoralising writing to charities with little or no likelihood of a response. I decided to research charities that would actually provide funding to individual prisoners and prison leavers and in 2005 I drafted the first edition of what was then called, ‘The Prisoner Funder Directory’ for prisoners in England and Wales.
I would like to make it clear that from the beginning we have sought in the production and distribution of this Directory not to discriminate in any way against anyone, no matter what their background.
Over the years we added information we hoped would be helpful to prisoners in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and information on housing; employment; dealing with debt and on the benefits system. In response to prisoners’ suggestions, we printed in colour, added photos and renamed the book, ‘The Hardman Directory’. This year, along with numerous updates, we have added a number of new entries, particularly in the Emergency section.
I leave it to Chris, Lisa, Obi, Jake, Jon, Shanice, Derek and Iain, with their previous experience as prisoners to explain the challenges facing those in prison and those recently released. They kindly told us from personal experience how to face these challenges in a way that leads to a better life; sometimes with a little bit of outside help.
Ian Wilson