Chris Parsons’ Blog

Hello, A very frequent question… “You just work with the easy ones don’t you, that’s why your success rate is so high and reoffending rate so low?” A good and pertinent question. The simple answer is….

Hello, One of the remarkable things about LandWorks is that those who complete a placement rarely lose contact. For loads of different reasons, people want to stay in touch. We call this ever-expanding group, ‘LandWorks graduates’…

Hello, “Chris mate, it was this prison sentence that saved me.” Karl B told me this in 2005 (pre-LandWorks), he had just been released from HMP Channings Wood and was explaining his life story. It stunned…

Hello, Capturing a few thoughts from recent visitors… “Weather’s lovely!” “Food is just great.” “The people here are amazing.” “It feels like this is how life should be.” “My visit made such a massive impression on…

Hello, Darryl called in at our house on Saturday morning, he often does. It’s nice, the three of us have a cup of tea and a chat. We have known each other for 9 years. When…

Hello, It’s been a funny old week. Last Sunday the half marathon runners completed the course and raised an incredible £11,247 – a huge thank you to everyone who sponsored them. My slightly odd feeling though…

Hello, I thought it would be nice to capture some good news, to let you know what’s recently been going on at LandWorks. Graduate achievements… Nathan Drury who was at LandWorks in 2016/17 has gone on…

Hello, Hens (and their eggs) arrived here almost as soon as the first men from prison. We would save up the eggs until Friday. Scrambled eggs, cooked over our tiny wood burner in the portacabin. This…

Hello, An increasingly common question has been “Chris, why can’t we just get offenders mending all these flipping potholes”. This seemingly simple question, contains a lot… I always start my answer by saying:  Yes, we should…

Hello, A few things are coming together, rather well! Let me explain. We have had an ambition (for a while now) to continue and develop our support for improving well-being at LandWorks. Recently Becca (our regular…

Hello, “We’ve only gone and won it”. This amazing news came through on Wednesday evening. Live from the red carpet at the Odeon cinema, Leicester square, London. The LandWorks film ‘One Day’ has won in its…

Hello, Unusually, I’m sat down on a sofa in our main building. I’m part of a small audience and we are about to witness three presentations.  There is palpable sense of excitement and nervousness. This is…