23 September 2025 –
Chris and Julie Parsons from LandWorks recently visited Westminster to share the impact of our pioneering work in rehabilitation and resettlement for people in the criminal justice system. Supported by Caroline Voaden, MP for South Devon, the visit included a positive meeting with Sir Nic Dakin MP, at the time a prisons and probation Minister in the Ministry of Justice, who expressed strong interest in the charity’s success.
“We are very grateful to Caroline Voaden MP for her support for LandWorks, and for arranging this meeting with the minister,” said Project Director Chris Parsons. “Whilst Sir Nic Dakin has since been replaced in the latest government reshuffle, we were pleased to meet with him and are hopeful of further discussions with the Ministry of Justice about how the LandWorks approach can be applied more widely in the criminal justice system.”
Caroline Voaden MP said: “I was delighted to welcome Chris and Julie Parsons from LandWorks to Westminster. It’s striking that the UK spent around £7bn on its prison systems in 2024/25, yet charities like LandWorks – who do vital work to reduce reoffending – receive no government funding. With nearly half of released prisoners reoffending within a year, programmes like theirs – which has a reoffending rate of just 5% – are essential for improving community safety, cutting costs for taxpayers, and giving people a real second chance.”