About Prisoners' Sunday
Help us meet the needs of prisoners and their families – and raise awareness too!
- ENCOUNTER: Hold a film night. Show one of Pact’s short films to hear from people with lived experience of the criminal justice system. Discuss the film and share refreshments. Vimeo Link?
- SOLIDARITY: Make a Parish – Prison Pilgrimage. If your local prison is in a town, organise a small group of walkers to make a pilgrimage there. Share a quiet prayer together outside, thinking of all those inside and their families. We can help you communicate with the prison in advance so as to avoid causing confusion on the day.
- BUILDING COMMUNITY: Hold an event which gathers people together. Say something about the work we do at Pact and the people we serve – we can provide you with a script. You can have a raffle or a collection as part of the event.
Invite donations and send them to us at Pact. Check out our Fundraising Promise.
Contact us with any questions – and to let us know what you are doing! Perhaps we can arrange for someone from Pact to be there. Please email parish.action@prisonadvice.org.uk.
General advice for events
- Do complete a risk assessment in advance. Ask for help from your parish team if you are unsure about this.
- Familiarise yourself with the fire safety procedure for the venue.
- Check that there is a first aid kit.
Food safety basics
- Wash your hands and any equipment in hot soapy water
- Keep food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible
- Ensure food is properly cooked
- Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods apart
- Do not use food past its ‘use by’ date
- Know the ingredients and display or provide accurate information about allergens
- Detailed guidance is here: https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-hygiene-for-your-business
Managing donations
You can set up a JustGiving page linked to Pact so that supporters can make their donation online and opt in to Gift Aid as appropriate: https://www.justgiving.com/prisonadvice
If you are collecting cash at your event:
- Keep it in a secure place such as a lockable cash box
- Do not leave cash unattended
- Count cash with another person to verify and witness the amount. Record the details of your cash count and both sign it.
- Bank the cash and send us a cheque or make the donation online via our website as soon as possible
- Please include a cover note with any cheques explaining who the money is from – so we can say thank you
- Please don’t send us cash through the post!
If you have any questions about managing donations, please contact us by email parish.action@prisonadvice.org.uk
Parish-prison pilgrimage health & safety advice
- Some prisons are in very rural locations where approach roads have no footpaths or marked crossing points. For this reason, we suggest the parish-prison pilgrimage group walking activity is more suited to urban locations.
- Plan a route which takes account of busy roads and safe crossing points.
- Allow plenty of time, especially where there are larger groups and/or a range of abilities.
- Check the weather. Consider alternatives if the forecast is especially severe.
- Advise participants to wear suitable clothing, footwear, sunscreen as appropriate.
- We anticipate that parish-prison pilgrimages will be small events. However, if your group is larger, you may need to discuss the route with your local authority and/or police and organise a first aider such as from St John’s Ambulance.
