The round table.

I had a minute to actually reflect on the impact me and the Hub team have made, and it’s made me realise just how powerful the voice of lived experience really is. It can drive real change, shift perspectives, and make a massive difference...

I have sat in rooms full of senior members of staff people with real power to make change happen and my voice has been listened to just as much as anyone else in that space. That’s what means the most to me. It’s not about titles or job roles, it’s about being heard and taken seriously because of what I’ve lived through, not in spite of it.

For a long time, people with lived experience haven’t had a seat at the table, let alone been truly listened to. But now, to be in those rooms, to share my story and see heads nodding not out of politeness, but because something I said landed, sparked a thought, or made someone rethink how they work that’s powerful. It shows that experience carries weight, that the reality of prison life can inform better systems, better support, and better outcomes.

It’s also made me realise that change doesn’t always come with a big announcement it’s in the small moments too. It’s in someone coming up after a meeting saying, “You made me think differently,” or in a policy being reviewed off the back of a conversation we had. That’s the kind of impact that lasts.

And being part of the Hub team means I’m not doing it alone we’re in it together, making sure that lived experience isn’t just included, but centred. That’s how you build something real.