HMP Aylesbury & Stratford Upon Avon
The Youth Offending Institute in Aylesbury allow prisoners to earn timebanking hours for the time they spend being a ‘Listener’ and supporting their peers to help with mental health. They save up their hours and donate them back to Timebanking UK who find a time bank where there might be a person in the community in need of hours.
We currently have over 200 “Prison Hours” available for use. A moving example of how these are used comes from Stratford Upon Avon, where hours were gifted to a member recovering from cancer surgery.
The hours were gifted to a time bank member who had to have surgery to remove a cancerous tumour. The hours were part of a package of support that helped her when she returned home, as she was unable to do very much. Other time bank members helped with many things, but particularly with shopping and dog walking.
The member in question was very panicked before the surgery, not just because of the cancer but because she knew she wouldn’t be able to afford to have dog walkers for the full 12 weeks the doctors were suggesting. So the wonderful time bank members gathered round to support her and her lovely dogs.