25th September 2009

PRESS RELEASE – IMMEDIATE

Prison Fellowship successful in local Community Awards

It has been a busy week for several groups affiliated to Prison Fellowship New Zealand, in their local Council Community Awards. On Tuesday night Wainuiomata’s Life Impact Church, which is Prison Fellowship’s pilot “Target Community” for ex-prisoner support, received the Safer Community Award from Lower Hutt City Council and last night Prison Fellowship Wellington received the Upper Hutt City Council’s Community Health Award and the Supreme Award.

PF Wellington Chairman, Basil Wakelin, was really surprised to be nominated for their award, and especially to win the Upper Hutt Supreme Award. “It is good to be recognised by people in the community for some of the dedicated work that goes on by our volunteers, week in and out, year after year, in difficult situations” he said, “Prison is not the sort of place that many people volunteer to go into, but it can be very rewarding to see people’s lives change because of the impact you may have from regular visiting and contact”.

PF Wellington now goes forward to the Wellington Airport Regional Awards later in October.

“The need for volunteers to work with prisoners and ex-prisoners is increasing due to the larger than ever numbers going into and coming out of prison” says Robin Gunston, National Director of Prison Fellowship, “at present the vast majority of people that volunteer to assist in various ways come from the NZ churches, and it is our job to help them be prepared to work within the special environment all prisons are. As a Strategic Partner with the Corrections Department we bring considerable experience of ministering to the spiritual, practical and social needs of prisoners; doing that work well is a major influence in successful rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners back into society, something we think NGOs should be contracted by Government to do far more of.”

“These awards to local affiliates show that local government at least fully understand and value the work we do”.

ENDS

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