Prison charity gears up for Operation Elf

Coldingley Prison - Image Pact

Source: Pact

Here at Pact, the Prison Advice and Care Trust, we have adapted the way we do Operation Elf for the second year running. Operation Elf is a way to help a prisoner give a Christmas gift to their child. Pact works year-round with prisoners, people with convictions and their families particularly helping to nurture vital family relationships. Stronger family bonds mean that prisoners are almost 40% less likely to return to crime.

This year 200,000 - 300,000 children will have had a parent in prison. The children of prisoners are at increased risk of poverty, mental health problems and other disadvantages. We know that around 90,000 children will go to bed on Christmas Eve without Mum or Dad, because they are in prison - and there are no prison visits on Christmas Day. Through Pact's Operation Elf, you can support people in prison to be good parents, to keep the family connected, and live better lives. You can be part of ensuring that children know they are loved by their parents - even if they are in a prison cell on Christmas Day. Bishop Richard Moth, Lead Bishop for Prisons, encourages us that, "Through Pact's Operation Elf, parishes and individuals can support prisoners ...This simple act can nurture the hope that redemption and a fresh start is possible."

Operation Elf posters are going up in participating parishes around England & Wales and notices will be in some parish bulletins for the next couple of weeks. Pact is asking people to buy a £10 gift card when they are out shopping - or buy (physical) £10 gift cards online. Send collected £10 gift cards to us by 30th November and we'll share them with prisoners for their children - such as at special Pact Family Visit days during December. Despite being in prison, Mum or Dad will be able to give their child the opportunity to go on a little shopping trip and choose something they want.

This has been a very difficult year for those in prison, not least because of the increased isolation during the height of the pandemic when visits had to be prohibited. Pact's Family Services staff are reporting large numbers of parents in prison who would welcome the chance to give a gift card to their child this year.

Chaplaincy teams in at least two schools in Southwark diocese are organising a chocolate raffle as a creative way of raising funds to support Operation Elf. At Vaughan House, the main office for both Westminster Diocese and Caritas Westminster, longstanding Operation Elf supporter Sr Silvana Dallanegra reports that her colleagues are keenly enquiring about this year's arrangements.

In Coventry, Lynda Howells and the (Anglican) Mothers' Union are supporting Operation Elf, partnering directly with HMP Onley which is in their neighbourhood. Pact Family Services Manager, Tina Kikta, reported that Lynda and the Mothers' Union are 'doing a fantastic job supporting the families at Onley.'

Operation Elf is on the agenda at Caritas Portsmouth's Supper Club next week where attendees will learn more about Pact's work by watching our short film Hidden Sentences: Voices of Prisoners' Families. Caritas Archdiocese of Cardiff has reached out for local support, especially for prisoners in HMP Swansea.

In Sacred Heart parish in Sunningdale, Berkshire, parishioners will be hearing about Operation Elf over the next two Sundays and have already committed generous funds with more to come. Parish priest Fr Julio Ocaña has invited Marie Norbury, a member of Pact's Faith in Action team, to visit the parish in the New Year to tell them more about Pact. Pact Family Services Manager Nikki Knight, at nearby Coldingley and Downview prisons, said, "It means a great deal to prisoners and their families to know people on the outside are glad to help them." Nikki also reflected that, "It is a privilege to witness families come together on a Christmas visit. Being able to give the prisoners a chance to give a gift to their children is such a special part of the day. I would like to thank each and every donor for their generosity, it means so much."

Individuals and workplaces are supporting Operation Elf too. Unilink staff are consistently generous for example. One Pact individual supporter partnered with friends to send a batch of £10 gift cards for Operation Elf instead of buying each other unnecessary Christmas gifts. People are sending beautiful messages and pledges of support for prisoners and their families through the Pact website: 'Thinking of you all this Christmas and praying that the love you have for each other grows stronger and stronger ... and that strong new hopes for the future emerge'

Click to find out the details: Operation Elf . Please note the closing date of 30th November for £10 gift cards to reach us at: Pact, 29 Peckham Road, London, SE5 8UA

Get in touch with ideas or queries, or if you would like to talk about acting as a Pact parish link, email: parish.action@prisonadvice.org.uk

LINK

Operation Elf - www.prisonadvice.org.uk/operation-elf