November 2012 For immediate release

Life after prison tackled at Leeds Met guest lecture Oliver Chrimes the co-ordinator of a programme committed to rebuilding the lives of former male prisoners - is to talk at Leeds Metropolitan University.

The guest lecture, which is open to the public, will be held at 3.30pm on Wednesday 14 November in the Rose Bowl building at the city centre campus and will tackle the work that the West Yorkshire Community Chaplaincy Project (WYCCP) undertakes to support the men back into society.

Mr Chrimes, who has worked in resettlement and housing for ten years, most notably with adult and young offenders, said: One of the most rewarding aspects of the work is to see someone who has previously thought of themselves as unemployable, and resigned themselves to a life of either prison or benefits, gaining the confidence and skills to return to society motivated and ready to contribute. The men who use the WYCCP service benefit from intensive support around the full spectrum of issues that have led to their unemployment. As well as assisting them to access accommodation, training and employment, we provide assistance in becoming organised and attending appointments; getting into mental health services or supported housing. Our staff and volunteers are trained to address and discuss mens attitude towards offending and deal with these specific issues to promote change.

The free lecture will focus on what the WYCCP project offers to prisoners leaving HMP Leeds and will include some case studies of success stories.

Based at the prison, WYCCP is an independent resettlement organisation which aims to reduce re-offending, working with the men pre- and postrelease. Following recent studies, the project, which works alongside agencies including West Yorkshire Probation Service, the NHS and the Drug Intervention Programme, is confident of a 6075% success rate.

Professor Ieuan Ellis, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, said: This guest lecture addresses a subject which affects our immediate community and society at large so will be of immense interest to many of our students and the wider public. I am delighted to welcome Oliver Chrimes to speak at Leeds Metropolitan about WYCCPs inspiring and important work.

If you would like to attend please confirm to s.rooke@leedsmet.ac.uk.

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For further details please contact Julia Williams in the Communications team at Leeds Met on 0113 812 5978 or email j.t.williams@leedsmet.ac.uk

Notes for editors: Leeds Metropolitan University has over 27,000 students and around 3,000 staff. The Vice Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University is Professor Susan Price and the Chair of the Board is Lord Woolmer of Leeds. Leeds Metropolitans four faculties are: Arts, Environment and Technology, Business & Law, Health and Social Sciences, and Carnegie. Leeds Metropolitans heritage can be traced back to the founding of the Mechanics Institute in Leeds in 1824.

The Destination of Leavers in Higher Education (DLHE) showed that the proportion of Leeds Metropolitan 2010/11 graduates in work, further study or both six months after leaving university was 91.87%.

Libraries and Learning Innovation at Leeds Metropolitan was awarded the CSE standard for the tenth year running in 2012. In 2012, Leeds Metropolitan was awarded a First in the People & Planet Green League, a league table of environmentally friendly universities, for the sixth consecutive year.