Meet the charity helping imprisoned dads connect with their children
With over 200,000 children affected by imprisoned parents each year, the toll of separation for families often leads to isolation and loneliness.
Storybook Dads is a charity scheme that is committed to helping these families, by ensuring imprisoned parents maintain essential connections with their children.
Through their innovative program, parents record bedtime stories and heartfelt messages for their children, providing comfort and reassurance during times of separation.
One father shared “My little girl couldn’t sleep at night after her Daddy went away. Now she listens to the CD I made for her every night. It helps her so much.”
The charity is based at HMP Channings Wood in Devon, and have established programs in over 100 prisons throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Island.
From story CDs and DVDs to personalised photo frames, over 5,000 imprisoned parents are supported each year. These simple gestures carry immense significance, bridging the physical gap and fostering emotional closeness between parent and child.
Communication from behind bars is filled with challenges, often worsened by long distances between imprisoned parents and their families. Storybook Dads steps in to facilitate this vital connection through the timeless magic of storytelling.
“I honestly believe that if it wasn’t for Storybook Dads, my little girl and I wouldn’t have the strong bond that we have now.”
Storybook Dads' initiative not only reassures children of their parents' love but also empowers imprisoned parents to play an active role in their children's lives, fostering positive outcomes for both parent and child. Prisoners are also given the chance to develop new technical and literacy skills whilst working in a professional environment, and to this day, the scheme is still fulfilling those ambitions.
Receiving donations from a small group of loyal supporters, as well as prisoners and their families, Storybook Dads relies heavily on funding from those who really believe in the scheme.
Storybook Dads have teamed up with online platform easyfundraising to make supporting their cause easier than ever, giving supporters the opportunity to raise free donations just by doing their everyday online shopping.
By using the platform when doing your online shopping, a percentage of your purchase will go to Storybook Dads, making a tangible difference in the lives of families in need.
The scheme has more recently introduced Storybook Mums to 9 women’s prisons, alongside programs with the Army Forces so that deployed service personnel can read bedtime stories to their children.
Over £1,500 has been raised for Storybook Dads through easyfundraising so far, going straight back into supporting separated families across the country.
For more information on how you can support this causes and make a difference, visit easyfundraising today.
By Daisy Whalley - Contributor
