Popular podcast gets £500,000 National Lottery grant – South London News

A popular podcast series that helps ex-offenders adapting to life outside prison has received almost £500,000 in funding from the National Lottery.

The Penitentiary Radio Association received the grant from National Lottery Community Fundto continue his Life After Prison podcast series, which provides advice and guidance to former and current prisoners as they seek to build crime-free lives after their release from prison.

Life After Prison also provides information and guidance to family members and loved ones of people in prison and others affected by the criminal justice system.

Presented by two ex-offenders, Zak Addae-Kodua, 32, and Jules Rowan, 27, from a recording studio in BrixtonLife After Prison offers practical advice and pointers to support services to help with housing, addiction, employment, mental health and finances.

Ms Rowan said: “There’s no rulebook or guideline when you get out of prison, so it’s huge for people to be able to relate to each other and know that there are people out there in a similar situation.

“It’s important that these topics aren’t seen as weird and scary, and that there are safe spaces to go to.”

Mr Addae-Kodua and Ms Rowan said they both struggled after their release. Ms Rowan found it difficult to relate to others and felt unable to open up about her experiences, while Mr Addae-Kodua felt he faced discrimination as he navigated a workplace.

Tim Colman, Director of Development at The Prison Radio Association, said: “Leaving prison can be the start of a complicated and confusing time in someone’s life.

“Most people leaving prison have to navigate a wide range of appointments and demands, find work in difficult circumstances and rebuild family relationships.

“The odds can be massively against them, which is why it’s no surprise that more than half of prisoners serving sentences of 12 months or less will reoffend.

“Life After Prison is there to support people through this maze and help them find inspiration and support.”

But Life After Prison does more than just help ex-prisoners. It also provides valuable information to the professionals working alongside them as part of their rehabilitation. The series features interviews with guests, which have previously included 35-year-old social worker Nequela Whittaker from Clapham.

With the funding, Mr. Addae-Kodua and Ms. Rowan plan to expand the scope of the podcast’s content, as well as grow the team’s social media and production teams.

Mr Addae-Kodua said: “Many thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund and the National Lottery players. Without you, we wouldn’t be reaching hundreds of thousands of people trying to build positive lives after prison.”

Life After Prison can be accessed via Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify and YouTube. It is also available through National Prison Radio and as on-demand content through the Digital Content Hub, which is available in 15 prisons across the UK.

Emma Corrigan, England Director of the National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Prison Radio Association does amazing work to support ex-prisoners on their journey of rehabilitation so they can become part of their community again.”

Pictured above: Jules Rowan and Zak Addae-Kodua on the set of the Life After Prison podcast (Image: Life After Prison)

Related stories