HMP Not-4-Me

14/10/2026

Another great session today at Thornes Park with the HMP NOT 4 ME team! We spent time engaging with young people across the park, handing out food and creating opportunities for positive conversations about the choices they make and the consequences these can have. Today’s main topic was vandalism, discussing the impact it has on the local community, the damage it causes, and how young people can take pride in the spaces they use.

During the session, while handing out food, we were made aware of a potential organised fight involving two young people. We acted quickly to speak with one of the individuals involved, taking the time to listen, engage and discuss the situation with them. Through this conversation and our intervention, the potential fight was stopped before it could escalate.

This situation highlighted the importance of our detached youth work and the relationships we continue to build with young people in the community. By being present, approachable and willing to listen without judgement, we can help prevent situations from escalating and encourage young people to make safer, more positive choices.

14/10/2026

Great free opportunity. Book your place using the link in the original post ❤️

🌸 Blossom is coming to Featherstone! 🌸

Join us on Saturday 28th November for our Full Day Self-Defence Course for ages 13+ at Featherstone Community Centre. 💪

Build confidence, learn practical self-defence skills, understand breakaways and disengagement techniques, and discover the power of your voice in keeping yourself safe.

✨ A safe, supportive space to learn, grow and feel stronger.

📅 Saturday 28th November
📍 Featherstone Community Centre

🌸 Book your place here: https://blossom-uk.co.uk/courses/ola/services/full-day-self-defence-saturday-28th-november-13-featherstone-community-centre

Thanks to funding from Wakefield Council & Featherstone Town council for providing a safe venue for us.
Together, we are stronger. 💗

14/10/2026

🚚 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝟏𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥: 𝐎𝐮𝐭 & 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟒𝐏𝐌

𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭: Painthorpe, Daw Green Play Area, Crigglestone All Blacks, Betty Eastwood Park, Hall Green FC and Hall Green Community Centre.

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭? 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞....

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 ⬇️

🟢 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝. Let's help them make positive choices and avoid mistakes that could affect their future. An uninformed child is a vulnerable child.

🟠 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬. They're influenced by peers, seeking acceptance or tempted by opportunities that could lead them down the wrong path. This is where early intervention could make all the difference.

🔴 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤. Often, these are the hardest young people to reach. They may lack parental supervision, distrust the police or struggle with rules and authority. If they break the law, they must be held accountable — but they also need opportunities to change direction. Sometimes, a conversation with a trusted youth worker is what makes something click!

🤝 𝐖𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 — 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧, 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

🚔 𝐄𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥. 𝐒𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

14/10/2026

🧑🏼‍🍼🧑‍🧑‍🧒 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 - 𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 ⬇️
🤔 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔?

Let them answer and then discuss ❤️

𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧:
✈️ Holidays and travelling the world.
⚽ Your favourite hobbies, sports and activities.
💼 Your dream job or career.
🎓 Education, qualifications and apprenticeships.
👨‍👩‍👧 Time with your family and friends.
🎂 Birthdays, Christmas and family moments.
🔓 Your freedom to go where you want and do what you want.

Every day spent in custody is a day you can't get back. Every criminal decision risks closing doors that might otherwise have been open to you.

𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐛 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝.

💙 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄'𝐒 𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 💙

13/10/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐌𝐏 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝟒 𝐌𝐄 team spent time at 𝐎𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐒𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤, yesterday engaging with young people and having some fantastic conversations about a range of topics affecting them and their local community.

👮🏼 We were also joined by our 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐂𝐒𝐎𝐬 who took the time to speak with the young people, answer their questions about policing and discuss local issues that matter to them.

🚚 Sessions like this are a great opportunity to 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞, and create a safe space where young people feel comfortable asking questions, sharing their views and being listened to.

🤝🏻 At HMP NOT 4 ME, 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

ℹ️ We received some information tonight that the 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 that was a direct result of our session.

🙌 𝐀 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐂𝐒𝐎𝐬 for getting involved, giving up their time and helping make the session such a positive experience. 👏

𝐇𝐌𝐏 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝟒 𝐌𝐄 — building relationships, changing perspectives and helping young people make positive choices. 💙

🥤 Come along next week, get some FREE drinks, crisps and snacks courtesy of WSK 😊

12/10/2026

📍 𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓 𝐒𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝟒𝐏𝐌!

𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐭

We liaise with Police, Councillors, local residents and young people to understand what is happening in their communities and, importantly, do something about it!

We make plans, but we also recognise that things change quickly. One survey might highlight concerns about drugs, while two weeks later the biggest issue could be e-bikes. We need to listen, adapt and respond to what is happening on the ground.

We’ve created leaflets covering 10 topics for young people to keep and use to start conversations. But we also know that young people need to talk about things that aren’t on a leaflet.

We can’t solve every problem, but we will always listen, talk and offer advice wherever we can.

Our replica prison cell is another great discussion starter. 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧? 𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲. One punch, a moment of anger or a reckless decision can change a life forever.

🚔 𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓: 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐂𝐒𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍

We’ve received information from Police about concerns involving young people throwing eggs at vehicles, lighting fires and banging on doors.

Some young people may see this as harmless fun or mischief without understanding the potential consequences. Parents, you can help us make a difference!

Talk to your children about antisocial behaviour (ASB) and use these scenarios to get the conversation started.

🥚 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎 𝟏: 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐒

𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫:

“You throw an egg at a passing car. It hits the windscreen, the driver loses visibility and crashes. What could happen next?”

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐦.

The driver, passengers or someone in another vehicle could be seriously injured or even killed. It could be a mum, dad, baby or anyone travelling along that road.

Something that seemed funny for a few seconds could have devastating consequences for another family.

𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬.

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧: Depending on the circumstances, serious offences could include criminal damage or, if a death resulted, manslaughter.
𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝: A conviction can affect future employment and opportunities. Some serious convictions are never filtered from standard or enhanced DBS checks.
𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: Living with the consequences of seriously injuring or killing someone could affect you for the rest of your life.

🔥 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎 𝟐: 𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐀 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇, 𝐁𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄

𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦:

“You set fire to a bench, bin, tree or patch of shrubland. The fire spreads. What could happen?”

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐦.

- The fire could spread to nearby property or put people at risk.
- The bench could be a memorial to somebody’s loved one.
- Trees, wildlife and community spaces could be damaged or destroyed.
- Emergency services may have to respond to a fire that could have been prevented.

𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬.

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧: Deliberately starting a fire can lead to serious arson-related charges, depending on the circumstances.
𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝: Arson convictions can have long-lasting consequences for employment and future opportunities. Some serious convictions are never filtered from DBS checks.
𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: A moment of mischief could affect education, employment and the choices available to them for years to come.

💬 𝐋𝐄𝐓’𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑

At HMP NOT-4-ME and iAspire2, we want young people to develop their potential, make positive choices, stay safe, build confidence and become active, responsible members of their communities.

We’re here to listen, not simply judge. We want young people to feel comfortable talking to us, asking questions and getting advice before a situation escalates.

We’ll also be sharing more videos and real-life scenarios to help parents start these important conversations at home.

𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐲𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭. 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 💙

09/10/2026

🚔 𝐑𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 – 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄 & 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐍

📽️ 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

A quiet evening around Rural Ward tonight, but we still got out and about, checking in with local communities and speaking to young people.

We visited Painthorpe, Daw Green Play Area, Crigglestone All Blacks, Betty Eastwood Park, Hall Green FC and Hall Green Community Centre. We also spoke with some lovely young people from Kettlethorpe who was up in Crigglestone.

🏪 We popped into the local pizza shop in Hall Green, shared our contact card and had a reassuring conversation. They told us they hadn't experienced any anti-social behaviour recently. It's always good to hear positive news from local businesses! 👍

🤝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

🧑🏼‍🏫 We work closely with local partners, and Mrs Kelly, Headteacher at Dane Royd School, is always willing to share her knowledge and advice to help us understand what's happening in our communities. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.

🛴 𝐄-𝐁𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐒, 𝐄-𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 & 𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃 𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄𝐓𝐘

We continue to hear concerns about young people riding electric bikes and scooters on roads, sometimes wearing balaclavas.

Reports have highlighted the bus terminus by St James's Church, around the green near Kettlethorpe, and the Hall Green Community Centre area.

Tonight, we witnessed a young person, who appeared to be around 10 years old, riding down the road and cutting across a Give Way junction.

We know some people use these vehicles for Crime & ASB but this is about more than anti-social behaviour. It's about road safety, understanding the Highway Code and protecting young lives.

𝐀𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐛 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞.

Do young riders understand who has priority at a Give Way junction? Do they know the rules at a roundabout? Do they understand how quickly a collision can happen?

📹 𝐖𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐭.

Parents and carers: please make sure you understand the law surrounding e-bikes and e-scooters, and check that your children know what is safe and legal. Depending on the circumstances, allowing a child to use an illegal vehicle can also have legal consequences to you.

We believe in educating young people, supporting families and working with partners. Where offences are identified, appropriate enforcement also has an important role to play.

“𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞-𝐛𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐞-𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚? 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐮𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰.”

𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞.

07/10/2026

Tonight was a little different.

HMP NOT-4-ME supports Wakefield Street Kitchen, but our involvement has always been during the daytime. Tonight, I took my own children, aged 6 and 8, along to the evening kitchen.

Earlier this week, my son read a book at his Harvest Festival. It was about a boy and his mum who had to use a food bank. The story was told through a simple idea — money being divided into cups between food, play, clothes and the home.

They reached a point where there was no money left for play.

We talked about it afterwards. What would that feel like? What would they think? What would they miss?

I talk to my children about privilege quite often. Not in a fluffy way, but realistically. Some families face circumstances that are completely outside their control. Sometimes people make poor choices too. Either way, children need to understand that the circumstances someone is living in don't tell you everything about that person.

Tonight, when we arrived at Wakefield Street Kitchen, my children were a little shy.

Then they started helping.

They were handing out bags containing children's colouring books, sweets and little fidgets.

On the way out both said:

“Dad, Dad… did you see how happy that little girl in the red was?”

Then:

“We like doing this.”

On the drive home, we talked about what they'd seen and how it made them feel.

When we got home, they went upstairs to get their pyjamas on. I heard them talking to each other, telling each other they loved each other… and then they tidied up together.

Maybe that's the bit that will stay with me.

We often hear the saying “misery loves company and I see it on social media too often.”

But I think love comes more naturally to children.

Tonight wasn't about feeling sorry for anyone. It was about understanding, kindness, perspective and actually doing something.

Hopefully, this experience will stay with them.

And judging by what they've already said, they want to go back and help again.

That's a pretty good lesson for two kids to take home. ❤️

Thank you to everyone at Wakefield Street Kitchen for everything you do and Anna Natasha Howard for giving my children an opportunity.

07/10/2026

Another fantastic session at Thornes Park today, with lots of new faces joining us and several new parents stopping by to say hello and find out more about what we do.

Today’s session focused on Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and theft. We had some really good conversations with the young people about what ASB actually means, how seemingly small actions can have a big impact on other people and the wider community, and the potential consequences of getting involved in criminal behaviour.

We also discussed theft, looking at why people steal, the impact theft can have on victims and businesses, and the possible consequences for young people who become involved.

It was brilliant to see so many new young people engaging with the team, asking questions and getting involved in the conversations. The fact that new parents are also stopping to speak with us is a great sign that HMP NOT 4 ME is becoming a familiar and trusted presence within the community.

A really positive session with some great conversations. Thanks to Wakefield Street Kitchen Warburtons D&A Local for providing all the food and pop for everyone

07/10/2026

Hear from the children who are taking part in the Nothing To Do Pro...