Put your faith into action for prisoners and their families

Go for it and organise a simple Prisoners’ Sunday event for Pact!

ENCOUNTER: Hold a film night. Show one of Pact’s short films to hear from people with lived experience of the criminal justice system. Discuss the film and share refreshments. 

SOLIDARITY: Make a Parish – Prison Pilgrimage. If your local prison is in a town, organise a small group of walkers to make a pilgrimage there. Share a quiet prayer together outside, thinking of all those inside and their families. We can help you communicate with the prison in advance so as to avoid causing confusion on the day. 

DIGNITY OF WORK: Talk to us about arranging an event for your group or parish where local Pact staff, volunteers and ambassadors explain what they do and why. 

Whichever event you choose, invite donations and send them to us at Pact. Check out our Fundraising Promise.  

Contact Marie and Theresa with any questions – and to let us know what you are doing! Please email [email protected]

General advice for events

• Do complete a risk assessment in advance. Ask for help from your parish team if you are unsure about this. 
• Familiarise yourself with the fire safety procedure for the venue. 
• Check that there is a first aid kit.

Food safety basics 

• Wash your hands and any equipment in hot soapy water 
• Keep food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible 
• Ensure food is properly cooked  
• Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods apart 
• Do not use food past its ‘use by’ date 
• Know the ingredients and display or provide accurate information about allergens  
• Detailed guidance is here: https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-hygiene-for-your-business  

Managing donations 

You can set up a Justgiving page linked to Pact so that supporters can make their donation online and opt in to Gift Aid as appropriate: https://www.justgiving.com/prisonadvice 

If you are collecting cash at your event:

• Keep it in a secure place such as a lockable cash box 
• Do not leave cash unattended
• Count cash with another person to verify and witness the amount. Record the details of your cash count and both sign it.
• Bank the cash and send us a cheque or make the donation online via our website as soon as possible 
• Please include a cover note with any cheques explaining who the money is from – so we can say thank you 
• Please don’t send us cash through the post!  

If you have any questions about managing donations, please contact Theresa by email [email protected] OR call 020 7735 9535.

Parish-prison pilgrimage health & safety advice 

• Some prisons are in very rural locations where approach roads have no footpaths or marked crossing points. For this reason, we suggest the parish-prison pilgrimage group walking activity is more suited to urban locations.  
• Plan a route which takes account of busy roads and safe crossing points. 
• Allow plenty of time, especially where there are larger groups and/or a range of abilities. 
• Check the weather. Consider alternatives if the forecast is especially severe. 
• Advise participants to wear suitable clothing, footwear, sunscreen as appropriate. 
• We anticipate that parish-prison pilgrimages will be small events. However, if your group is larger, you may need to discuss the route with your local authority and/or police and organise a first aider such as from St John’s Ambulance. 

COVID-19 safety 

• Please follow any guidance in place 
• Consider ventilation for indoor events 
• Consider reminding participants not to attend if they have COVID symptoms 
• Consider providing hand sanitiser 

Click here to find out more about how you can mark Prisoners' Sunday in church.