Our Activities – Friends of Peterborough Prison

View of the male art classroom, just waiting for some students, a tutor and a FOPP Volunteer! Some people in prison find they have hitherto-unrecognised artistic talents and produce work of a very high standard.

If you are interested in volunteering for FOPP have a look at the Roles available to our volunteers and read about some of their real-life Experiences.

Most volunteers commit to one shift per week in any one area, but there is nothing to stop you from doing more if you wish. You can even mix and match to some extent; for example some volunteers spend one shift inside the secure areas of the prison and another one in the FOPP Tea-Bar.

Some roles do benefit from a commitment to do a regular shift each week (e.g. the various roles within the education departments) because the staff come to value your assistance and they like to know they can rely on having your help on a particular day. But we realise that this isn’t possible for everyone, and we would rather have some of your time than none at all, so we can be flexible.

Some volunteering roles do not require weekly attendance. The Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) is normally visited by volunteers less frequently (typically once or twice a month), and requires a pair of volunteers.

The FOPP Tea-Bar is open most days when visits are taking place (6 days/week) so this is a perfect oppportunity to help as and when you are available.

Our Volunteer Coordinator will email us from time to time with details of Tea-Bar shifts that need volunteer cover and it is very helpful if you can be one of her regular “stand-by” volunteers who can be called on to do the occasional shift at short notice. It is possible to do a shorter Tea-Bar session than the 4 hours that are normally required for shifts in the secure areas of the prison.

Because the Tea-Bar is outside the security barriers, you do not have to go through security in order to perform your volunteering role here, but you should wear your FOPP badge and lanyard.

All our volunteers are unpaid, but can claim for travelling and certain other expenses necesary to fulfill their roles.

If you think you might enjoy volunteering with us, then please get in touch…