It’s a sunny morning when I arrive at HMP Thameside, where I have been invited to attend the prison library’s reading group. After a security process not unlike an airport (bag scanned, shoes off, full pat down), I am met by librarian Neil Barclay and led through numerous gates, doors and corridors to the library, housed in the education department.
Neil works for Serco as a civilian librarian at HMP Thameside, and won the 2015 Butler Trust Award, nominated by prisoners, for the outstanding dedication, skill and creativity he has shown in transforming the prison’s library into a dynamic learning and resource centre, much valued by prisoners and staff, and described as ‘the envy of other prisons’. As well as reading groups, Neil has run The Reading Agency’s Reading Ahead programme with prisoners for three years; 252 people completed the programme there in 2015/16.
HMP Thameside is a local category B prison, meaning a lot of prisoners are on remand. Neil warns us that this means the group can vary in terms of how many attend, and how many of them have had the opportunity to read the book before the meeting.
When we arrive, 12 group members sit in a ring of chairs – a great turn out. Extras are provided for me, Maggie Gallagher (the group facilitator) and Nik Maroney (a visitor like me, a CBT therapist and senior lecturer at LSBU, teaching clinical skills).
Maggie has volunteered for the organisation Prison Reading Groups at the prison for around 15 months. She says:
‘I find it extremely rewarding…We read fiction, non-fiction, poetry, short stories – everything really and recently we have read a fair few books about mental health which have triggered great discussions and allowed many different voices to be heard.’
We are introduced to the group, who are very welcoming to the visitors joining their meeting. Cups of tea are offered and gratefully received before we begin. There is an easy rapport between the group members and the staff, and I hear one group member thanking Maggie for her recent recommendation of Bret Easton Ellis’ Less Than Zero.
The meeting starts with the plans for future books. Mr Pip is up next, with The Chimp Paradox to follow, demonstrating the group’s varied tastes, and willingness to try new things. Today, however, we’re here to discuss Sunday Times bestseller Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig. The books have been provided by World Book Night, The Reading Agency’s annual celebration of reading and books that sees passionate volunteers give out hundreds of thousands of books in their communities.
Every member contributes
Maggie kicks us off with a brief overview of the book then opens it up to the group. We go around the circle one at a time, with clear guidelines that only one person talks at a time, and everyone’s views are respected.
There is a mixed group here today; some clearly attend regularly, referring to previous titles discussed, and making confident pronouncements of their views on the book. Others seem new to the sessions and are less forthcoming, but every member contributes, with Maggie encouraging where needed.
The group have read several books looking at mental health issues in recent weeks, including Ruby Wax’s Sane New World, Rachel Kelly’s Black Rainbow and Amy Liptrot’s The Outrun. I am fascinated to hear their conclusions on the books and how they differ.
The group has a lot of positive things to say about Matt Haig’s book, some find it to be ‘more readable’ than other recent titles, with ‘better male appeal’. One group member is hugely positive, saying that the ‘book should be read by all people’. Others praise the style of the book, like the use of lists and the ‘Short chapters – one of the joys of life’.
A shared reading experience
A particularly poignant moment of the group for me is when one group member, who has only been in the prison a week, and considers himself not much of a reader, bravely reads a quote to the group that resonates with him:
‘The price for being intelligent enough to be the first species to be fully aware of the cosmos might just be a capacity to feel a whole universe’s worth of darkness.’
Many of the group are shocked to discover that although more women are diagnosed with depression, more men commit suicide, and suicide is now the leading cause of death in males under 35 in the UK. They discuss how men find it harder to ask for help, and talk about the theory that men don’t cry: ‘Maybe not in public!’ one of the men exclaims.
When the session comes to an end, everyone seems full of energy, and I feel like we could have carried on talking all morning. Even those who disagreed with the book or the other men seem to find something therapeutic about sharing as a group.
Neil and Maggie are a great team, and the group is a perfect example of best practice for other prisons. I’ve seen first-hand the benefits of a shared reading experience in the prison environment and could not think of a better place for World Book Night titles to make a difference. Thanks to HMP Thameside, and Neil Barclay, for letting me be a part of it.
