John Walters Expand John Walters has been a patron of Prisoners Abroad since 2011. He served as the Chief Probation Officer for Middlesex for 16 years. On retirement he became a trustee of Prisoners Abroad and shortly after became Chairman, since then he has continued to be a very active supporter of our work.
Jon Snow Expand Jon Snow is a long-standing Channel 4 News journalist who has reported on many hard-hitting cases including those concerning prisoners’ rights and those detained overseas. He has supported us for over 20 years and has assisted us with our fundraising activities and digital campaigns over the years.
Hon. David Bernstein Expand David Bernstein is one of the earliest supporters of Prisoners Abroad. Having served on the board of trustees for over 25 years and as a former chairman he became a patron of Prisoners Abroad. He is now the chair of The Forward Trust and continues to actively promotes our work.
Rt. Hon. Dominic Grieve QC MP Expand Dominic Grieve QC has been a patron since 2015. He is the former Attorney General for England and Wales and was previously the shadow Secretary of State for Justice. He is currently a co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Penal Affairs Group which recognises prisoners’ rights and well-being. He has spoken at a number of events and is a very active supporter.
Dame Harriet Walter Expand Dame Harriet Walter is passionate about advocacy for female prisoners. She is also patron of Clean Break, a charity and theatre company dedicated to sharing the often hidden stories of imprisoned women and has starred in all-female cast productions of Julius Caesar, Henry VI and the Tempest which are set as though in a women’s prison. Dame Harriet was the voice of our Radio 4 appeal in 2012 and has also spoken at events.
Sir David Wootton Expand Sir David is a lawyer and politician in the City of London and was the 684th Lord Mayor of London from 2011-12. During that time he hosted an event for us, and continued to support our work by generously agreeing to become a patron of Prisoners Abroad.
Sir Martin Berthoud Expand Sir Martin Berthoud held his last post as the High Commissioner for Trinidad and Tobago at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He is former Director of The Wates Foundation and most recently author of Undiplomatic Episodes. Sir Martin is a strong advocate for our work and has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Prisoners Abroad over the years, as well as attending and facilitating a number of events for us.
Rt. Hon. Sir John Wheeler Expand Sir John Wheeler has been a patron for many years and has attended a number of events. He was previously appointed as Security Minister at the Northern Ireland Office and was the chairman of Reliance Custodial Services Limited and has an extensive understanding of the prison system.
Lady Brooke Expand Lady Brooke is a supporter of Prisoners Abroad and regularly attends our events. Lady Brooke advocates for and supports a number of prison charities including New Bridge, which help offenders reconnect with the outside world whilst in prison through a volunteer befriending scheme.
Rt. Hon. Lord Ramsbotham GCB CBE Expand Lord Ramsbotham was HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales 1995 to 2001. He is the co-chair of the All Party Penal Affairs Group and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Learning & Skills in the Criminal Justice System. He is President of UNLOCK, The National Association of Ex-Offenders and an Ambassador for the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT). He has been an active supporter using his political influence in the House of Lords.
The Rt. Revd. James Langstaff, Bishop to Prisons Expand Reverend James Langstaff, Bishop to Prisons ensures prison chaplaincy continues in UK prisons. He recognises the difficulty for British people in prison overseas and their families. He has taken a close interest in our work and attended many events.
The Free Churches Moderator Expand The Free Churches Moderator has long supported Prisoners Abroad and has attended many events in the past. Dr Hugh Osgood, the current moderator, is very supportive of Prisoners Abroad's work and values and he is involved with Prisons Week.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis Expand Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has been a Prisoners Abroad patron since 2013. Having grown up in apartheid South Africa, where his father visited political prisoners held on Robben Island, his understanding of the importance of prisoners’ rights is the same as that of Prisoners Abroad.
The Archbishop of Westminster Expand The Archbishop of Westminster is a supporter of the importance of rehabilitation of prisoners. He participates in Prisons’ Week which is an annual reflection and prayer for all those affected by crime, including prisoners, their families and former offenders.
Guy Beringer CBE, QC (Hon) Expand Guy Beringer was a partner at Allen & Overy LLP from 1985 and became Senior Partner from 2000 to May 1, 2008. In 2008 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award in the British Legal Awards. He became an Honorary QC in 2006 and was awarded a CBE in 2015 for services to export finance and pro bono work in the legal sector. Guy has been a great supporter of our work since 2015 and became a patron in 2018.
Kevin Fitzgerald CMG Expand Kevin Fitzgerald CMG has been working in the UN World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva since 2015 and is Director of the Copyright Infrastructure Division. He was previously Chief Executive of the UK’s Copyright Licensing Agency from 2007 to 2014 and Chair of the European Union Group for Reproduction Rights Organisations from 2008 to 2015. He was previously an Independent Member of the Public Diplomacy Partners Group at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for a number of years. Kevin was also a Non-Executive Director of the East of England Tourist Board in 2006 and Chair of the Awards for Excellence in that region in 2007. Before 2006 Kevin's career was mostly in publishing and communications. His various posts included being Managing Director of Rough Guides and running the Better World campaign for DFID (the Department for International Development). In his spare time Kevin helps to support a village in India which is developing its economic infrastructure. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and occasionally squeezes in some travel writing. He became in Trustee of Prisoners Abroad in 2008 and took on the role of Chair in 2009 until 2014 when he became Immediate Past Chair. In 2013 Kevin was awarded a CMG for “services to British economic interests, particularly the promotion of intellectual property internationally and the welfare of British nationals in prison abroad”.