Reflecting on the Opening of Hope Street
Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor, One Small Thing
In the next in her series of blogs Lilly Lewis, One Small Thing’s Women’s Involvement Advisor reflects on her experience of attending the official opening of Hope Street in June. Lilly explains more about how in her role at One Small Thing, she supported various aspects of Hope Street’s development, her first impressions of the space, and shares what it was like speaking with HRH Princess of Wales who officially opened Hope Street.
When I arrived at Hope Street on the 27th of June this year for the opening I was overwhelmed and felt really emotional. Whilst in prison I envisaged a place such as Hope Street, a space for both women and children to stay together whilst being supported to deal with lifelong trauma and getting to the root cause of why women commit crime. Where women are encouraged to share experiences, are empowered to make positive changes and use their voice to be heard.
My role as Women's Involvement Advisor for One Small Thing has included working on the development of Hope Street through tasks such as reviewing policies, procedures and the resident’s handbook. I have consulted with women who have also been involved with the justice system through discussions at Hope Street coffee mornings. I have also worked to raise awareness on the need for community alternatives to custody through my blogs, policy work and speaking to the media.
However, until the day of the opening I had not visited the finished Hope Street building in person. When I first arrived, I felt shocked at how beautiful the Hope Street building was from outside. Once entering the building my feeling was that of calm and relaxation. Even though there were people busy in the building, the aesthetics, colours, textures and smells were extremely calming. The design was open plan, and it was lovely to see the artwork that some of the women had done on the walls.
The day of the opening was probably one of the best days of my life. I had been a chaotic woman who was used to being domestically abused and had misused substances, had my children removed from my care and served an eight-year prison sentence, yet here I was speaking with the press, enjoying a beautiful event and having the privilege of my life to talk to the Princess of Wales. The homely women’s lounge in which I was given the opportunity to speak with her really calmed my nerves and made me feel relaxed.
The Princess was interested in what happened to my children when I went into custody and how I felt Hope Street would create better outcomes for women involved in the justice system. It was a very relaxed interaction and she showed real compassion and a genuine interest in my experiences.
I felt extremely proud watching the media coverage. Being sent to prison and losing my children to the care system, I felt a lot of pain and also shame for not being a better mum. It would be much easier to try to forget or even hide this period of my life, but I felt empowered to talk authentically about my experiences and how I felt I had failed my children.
“I hope that by sharing my experiences it may change the perception of women in prison and give a glimmer of hope for other women going through similar situations.”
My message of hope for Hope Street was that I hoped this would be the first of many. I hope we can evidence how well this works, with women being empowered to make positive choices for themselves and their children, so they are able to create a beautiful safe life for themselves and their family.
Written by: Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor at One Small Thing