The Footprints Project Hampshire & Dorset

29/10/2026

Second Chances on the Radio
We're back on the radio! Last week Bernadette, a participant from our Second Chances art group, was interviewed for the Katie Martin show on Radio Solent. Two days ago, our Chief Executive got a chance to listen to it live with Kate followed by an interview discussing the project and impact.

Listen to it now! It is only available until 25th November. Interview starts at 2:09:17.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00332l2

28/10/2026

🎉 21 Years of Footprints: Celebrating Change, Courage and Community 🎉
For 21 years, The Footprints Project, Dorset and Hampshire, has been walking alongside people affected by the Criminal Justice System—creating opportunities, supporting positive change and helping communities move forward.
We marked this incredible journey at Barnsgrove with a memorable conversation between our patron, Kate Adie, the renowned BBC war correspondent, and Lady Edwina Grosvenor, founder of One Small Thing. Their inspiring discussion reflected the courage, compassion and determination at the heart of our work.
Pictured are Kate Adie and our Footprints Project Chair of the Board, SJ Radford.
This milestone belongs to everyone who has supported, shaped and shared the Footprints journey over the past 21 years. Join us in celebrating the people, partnerships and progress that continue to make a difference. Here’s to the next chapter! ⭐️

28/10/2026

This week's Second Chances Art session is all about leaf Art
Working with natural materials acts as a calming meditative process that lowers stress
A favourite with the women attending our group. And don't forget you can listen to one of our participants and our CEO live on Radio Solent today

27/10/2026

Sharing lived experience & inspiring change.

It’s that time again! Our Prison Coordinator, Stuart, recently delivered a lived experience talk at one of our local Dorset prisons, supporting young adults to see that a different future is possible.

By sharing his own journey from youth into adulthood, including periods of uncertainty and time in prison, Stuart hopes to inspire others to recognise their own potential and believe in themselves.

His message is that our past doesn’t have to define our future. With the right support, self-belief and a willingness to make changes, it is possible to break away from old patterns and build a more structured, stable and meaningful life.

At Footprints, we believe that sharing lived experience, alongside mentoring and positive support, can help people see new possibilities for their future.

26/10/2026

Thank you, Community Action Network (CAN)! 🤝
The Footprints Project would like to thank Community Action Network (CAN) for inviting us to attend their AGM on 14th October 2026 at The Lighthouse, Poole.
It was a pleasure to attend, connect with other organisations and strengthen partnership working across Dorset and Hampshire.
📸 It was great to meet Fraser Nicholson, BCP Homelessness Partnerships Co-ordinator, and discuss the importance of partnership working to support vulnerable people in our communities.
Thank you to CAN for the invitation and for the valuable work you do supporting the voluntary and community sector.

25/10/2026

We are delighted to announce that we have been selected to take part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge. Our target is to riase £8,200 which will be match funded by the Big Give and our pledgers to give a fanatstic total of £16,800. Money raised will go towards a development manager to help extend our enterprises across Dorset and Hampshire, including our art, allotments and cookery interventions.
We need your support. Please help us reach our target by sharing this link with your network, and giving what you can.
For your donation to be doubled through the match funding it has to be given between midday on 1st of December and midday on the 8th December through the link below. Donations through our website, by BACS or CAF will not count and will not be doubled.

Footprints supports people affected by the Justice System, through projects such as our Second Chances art group for vulnerable women. …

23/10/2026

💚 **The Power of Lived Experience – Making Voices Heard**

On Monday, I had the privilege of accompanying one of the men we support at The Footprints Project to a BCP Homelessness Partnership Community of Co-production event.

Having experienced homelessness himself, he was able to bring a really valuable perspective to the conversation, sharing the challenges of trying to find stability and highlighting the importance of getting the right support at the right time to prevent people becoming homeless again.

At Footprints, we believe that people with lived experience should be at the heart of shaping the services designed to support them.

For us, this was about more than attending a meeting. It was an opportunity to build confidence, feel listened to and recognise that his experiences and opinions have real value.

💚 Because the people who have experienced these challenges are often the very people who can help us understand what needs to change.



Zoe - Dorset Coordinator

21/10/2026

Following on from a busy Prisoners’ Week and our recent radio interview highlighting the support people need when leaving prison, our Prison Coordinator, Stuart, has been back doing what he enjoys most — connecting with people inside prison and helping them look towards the future.

After a rather bleak and rainy drive, Stuart visited a couple of the people we support at HMP Channings Wood, offering some much-needed encouragement and reminding them that they’re not alone as they prepare for release.

Alongside these visits, Stuart has also been building new relationships within the prison, helping strengthen connections and raise awareness of the support Footprints can offer.

Because even when the weather is gloomy, there’s always room for a little hope and a plan for the future.

21/10/2026

Yesterday Russell from Radio Solent came along to one our of art sessions he spent time chatting to Bernadette listening to her story and how she came to join us
Bernadette described how coming to the group gave her a sense of 'Belonging' and how it gives her a sense of freedom a chance to express something on canvas to contribute to the world. 'It makes me feel like I belong to something and I've wanted that for so long'
You can hear more about our Second Chance Art Group and hear our CEO being interviewed live on air Radio Solent 27th October 12 noon

16/10/2026

💙 **A second chance shouldn't start with so many barriers.**

Imagine leaving prison determined to make a fresh start, but with nothing more than the clothes you're wearing, a pair of second-hand trainers with the soles falling off, and your discharge grant.

This is the reality for a young man under 25 we've been supporting at The Footprints Project.

It's his first offence and his first experience of prison. He's served his sentence and now faces the challenge of rebuilding his life.

Four weeks after claiming Universal Credit, he's still waiting for financial support. Delayed appointments mean he can't access an advance payment for another two weeks.

He has no photographic ID, making it difficult to open a bank account, which he needs to receive his benefits.

**How can we expect people to successfully reintegrate into society when accessing the most basic essentials is so difficult?**

Over the past few weeks, we've been walking alongside him, helping him navigate these barriers.

🥫 Arranging a Foodbank referral and connecting him with The Pantry and other community food projects.

👟 Securing a small grant so we could take him shopping for a new pair of trainers and some clothes.

🏦 Accompanying him to our local Nationwide branch today, where the staff were fantastic. Rather than turning him away because he had no photo ID, they took the time to explore alternative documents he could provide.

A huge thank you to Nationwide for treating him with kindness, dignity and respect.

**This is what prison resettlement looks like in practice.**

It's not always about big interventions. Sometimes it's a pair of trainers, a trip to the bank, help accessing food or simply having someone beside you who won't give up when things get difficult.

This young man is doing his best to move forward. Yet the systems that should support his transition back into the community are leaving him struggling to meet his most basic needs.

**If we're serious about reducing reoffending, we need to make sure people leaving prison have a genuine opportunity to succeed, not an obstacle course to overcome.**

💙 At The Footprints Project, we believe everyone deserves that chance.