VOLUNTEER staff who dedicate themselves to making prisoners’ lives better have been praised by outgoing High Sheriff of Wiltshire Lay Penny Marland.

The Erlestoke Prison’s Friends group and its chaplaincy service were given High Sheriff awards to mark the end of Lady Marland’s year in office.

The prison is still recovering from the effects of the riots there in June 2016 but Lady Marland praised the work of the two teams when she presented her awards at Salisbury Law Courts.

She said: “I have seen so much wonderful work in my year in office. The High Sheriff awards are the only thing I can do to thank them for their service, which is so valuable.”

Receiving the award on behalf of the Friends of Erlestoke Prison, volunteer Belinda Southwell said: “This is marvellous. The Friends are there to support not only the prisoners but also their families because they also serve a sentence too.”

The Friends, which has been operating since 2011, provides transport links and facilities for visiting families and supports education and rehabilitation programmes for offenders.

“The aim of the charity is to rehabilitate the men so that when they leave prison there is going to be far less chance of them offending again,” said Mrs Southwell.

Fellow Erlestoke worker Rev Sue Ascough of the prison’s chaplaincy team said the multi-faith team of 25, which covers 13 faiths, is there to provide a listening ear to prisoners and staff.

“There is a real sense of pulling together in our team under difficult circumstances. If anyone wants to see a real community in action, then ask to come and see us,” she said.

The awards were two of six handed out, with more to come later this month.

Also receiving an award was The Salamander Project, which is run by Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and is aimed at youngsters between 11 and 14 from troubled backgrounds. An eight-week course in basic firefighting skills teaches them a sense of responsibility and personal pride, said co-ordinator Rob Guy.“It really boosts the confidence of the young people and for some of them it is the first thing they have achieved in their young lives,” he said.