When your dad is in prison, but still somehow manages to send you a Christmas present

I first got involved with Angel Tree, through the Prison Fellowship, in 2002. The Chaplain from the local prison, HMP Gartree, and two members from Prison Fellowship visited my parish Church, Our Lady of Victories, Market Harborough, to talk about the work of Prison Fellowship with the view of setting up a local group. 

After the meeting I said I was interested in being involved in some way in the Fellowship, but as a mother of seven young children my involvement would be limited and so I offered to set up a group to pray for the prison. Three of us from the parish began to meet monthly to pray for the prison, and the prison Chaplain would attend these meetings to encourage us and to inform our prayers.

Wanting to help to do something more tangible I contacted the Prison Fellowship office to ask about running Angel Tree, which enables the children of an imprisoned parent to receive a Christmas present as though coming from them. 

With some fear and trepidation and with a lot of support from Prison Fellowship, they led me through the process of what to do. I contacted the prison to ask permission from the Chaplaincy and then waited to hear if any prisoners would be interested in having a present sent on their behalf to their child. The response from the prison was a positive yes.

I put a note in the parish newsletter asking if people would like to buy a present for a child whose dad was in prison. Again the response from the parishioners was encouraging and many contacted me to say they wanted to buy a present. The first year was a good success; we heard from the chaplain that prisoners and their families were so grateful for the kindness shown to them by complete strangers. The children loved their presents, but especially that they had been remembered by their dad at Christmas.

This gave our group encouragement to run Angel Tree every year since, and as Prison Fellowship is non-denominational I made contact with the local churches to ask for their involvement with Angel Tree. Again the response from them was enthusiastic. Some wanted to buy presents or make a donation to the project to help cover the cost of postage.

Through running Angel Tree the local Prison Fellowship group has grown to include people from other churches who have expressed an interest in the work of Prison Fellowship. Other members of the group have taken on other aspects of Prison Fellowship’s ministry: one member, who is a school teacher, tutors on a Restorative Justice course called Sycamore Tree; another writes to a prisoner through Letter Link; another member coordinates the prayer requests from the prison; and another helps support ex-offenders. My role as group leader is helping to coordinate Angel Tree and I also facilitate on the Sycamore Tree course.

Just before Christmas this year we came together as a group at my home to prepare the Angel Tree presents for posting. Taking the presents to the post office for posting always starts up an interesting conversation with the assistant behind the counter: the children who will receive a present from their dad, through the work of Prison Fellowship and the generosity of the local Christian community.

What would we do without prayer? This is at the heart of Prison Fellowship: wanting to see lives transformed by the love of God.

Maureen Douglas is a Catholic and a coordinator with the Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree programme, which gives parents in prison the opportunity to send a Christmas present to their children. In 2018, the fellowship sent out more than 4,800 gifts. Find out how to get involved here.