COMMENDEE 2023-24: Barbara receives a Commendation for going far beyond her role as a Business Hub Administrator at HMP/YOI Askham Grange, whether volunteering as a tester during Covid, going to the supermarket after hours to buy nappies for the mother and baby unit, or helping colleagues with IT issues and report writing.

Barbara’s nomination

Initial Recommendation

Barbara was initially recommended by: Victoria Breen (Business Hub, HMP Askham Grange).

Barbara epitomises the characteristics of a team player through and through. Her role at HMP Askham Grange is Business Hub administrator but she brings so much more than that to our community. Barb’s day job is very varied, working multiple tasks in what should be a team of three. Over the past year, Barbara has had to pick up more than her fair share of tasks due to vacancies and maternity leave. She has juggled this additional work remarkably well, working diligently to maintain business as usual.

Barb is a retired languages teacher and started through agency work in 2019 but, after enjoying the work, applied to stay permanently. Barbara has been known to be called upon to help with questions around the French languages and uses her fluency and spare time to assist staff with whatever they need help with.

Part of Barb’s role is to use a Government Procurement Card to procure items for the prison. Sometimes these items are not available quick enough when ordered online, such as urgent requests for baby formula or nappies. Barbara has been known to go to the supermarket after her work hours to procure these items and bring them back to the prison so that the women and babies in our care can have those items as soon as possible. She goes above and beyond for staff, helping with IT queries and issues and is the go-to person for people to call if they need help or have a random question.

Another aspect of Barb’s role is IMB clerk, supporting the IMB board with their meetings and admin work. Barb takes on a lot more than is required to assist with data collection and IT issues.

During the pandemic, Barb volunteered to be on the testing team, putting herself in harms way to help keep the rest of the staff and our women safe. She also committed to work extra hours, not for the bonus but to help wherever she could. She was instrumental in our COVID response, covering additional gaps in the testing rota where other staff dropped out due to not wanting to have an earlier start.

Barb is known as Askham Granges’ resident baker, she bakes brownies weekly (at a cost to her) for everyone to enjoy. Her brownies are so famous that staff from our sister site come up to the office asking to sample one of Barb’s well known brownies.

Without realising it, Barb is an incredible advocate of staff support, providing a listening ear, a compassionate response and a moment of laughter. Her sense of humour lights up the office and she will always, without fail do whatever she can to help anyone else, even to her own detriment. She thinks about the small things, bringing in tea bags, filling up the chocolate tin and remembering everyone’s birthdays. She brings a smile to everyone she meets including the women in our custody who often go out of their way to say hello to Barb or send her a thank you card before they leave custody for pastures new.

There’s not just one thing that makes Barb worthy to be a Butler Trust award winner, she has a kind heart, a generous nature and a warm and friendly manner in all situations. She is the kind of person we should all aspire to be, not just at work but in life. I can’t put into words how much she is loved by all who meet her; she’s an irreplaceable asset to our Askham Grange team and HMPPS.

Testimonials (from HMP Askham Grange)

Barbara’s nomination included the following testimonials:

“Barbara is one of those warm, friendly people. I recently had a problem accessing a site to do some training and she sent me screen shots of what I needed to do, but on top of that she came over to my office, in person to support me and make sure I didn’t have any further problems. I put her forward for a staff award because I had found her support invaluable.

Barbara has also gone out of her way to find out how to source unusual items and they are often delivered the day after the request has been submitted; she is just so incredibly efficient.

I was struggling with one aspect of a French course I was doing, and Barbara went up in her loft to find old teaching notes to support me (old school-style) and then sent me a link to a helpful site as well (new school-style). Barbara is the sort of person who gives you a virtual hug every time you see her, and she is so humble that I bet she doesn’t even know she does it! I’m so pleased you are nominating Barbara; she really deserves it.”
Charlotte Harker, Learning and Skills Manager

“Barbara is a hardworking and extremely valued member of the Askham team. She displays willingness to learn, is flexible and her patience and commitment to the role is admirable. I believe those working around her view her as a role model as the positive attitude she carries with her is infectious. Barbara’s imprint on the team goes beyond work as she bakes regularly to bring in her famous brownies. We have all had moments where we have needed a “Barbara brownie”, it’s small gestures like this which go a long way to bring a team of people together. Thank you, Barbara!”
Jen Gardner, Security Governor

“Where to start: Barbara is so kind and generous and will help out and volunteer at the drop of a hat, she will often put herself out or go out of her way to help someone – at work and outside of work. She is fun and genuine and will always brighten the day with a funny comment or observation. The office is a brighter place with Barbara in it.”
Caroline Horne, Cashier

“Barbara has been the Clerk for the Independent Monitoring Board for over four years. Aside for her routine IMB work, Barbara has far exceeded her job description in both time and support she gives all members of the Board, helping them with research and being available to support new members in their early days on the Board. This is always done in a friendly and helpful way with no hint of anything being ‘beyond her normal duties’ or ‘Job Description’. This was especially the case during the covid lockdowns when remote monitoring would have been impossible without Barbara. Barbara makes working on the Board a pleasure rather than a chore. She really does deserve a Butler Trust Award.”
Stephen Beyer, IMB Chair

“Barbara does so much for everyone at Askham Grange from staff, to prisoners, and even visitors, she treats everyone with kindness, respect and without judgement. When I first landed at Askham Barbara was one of the first friendly faces I met. Over the year and a half I spent at Askham she became a really important part of my support network both professionally and personally. Barbara is someone who has time for everyone and anything. You need someone to listen to your problems? Someone to help with an order? Someone to give amazing advice? Someone to make you laugh? Barbara is the woman you need.

Barbara went out of her way to help me with issues way outside of her job role. These included providing me with lifts before I knew how to drive, being a confidant for issues in my personal and professional life and making sure there were enough sweet treats to feed the whole staff load. Barbara is the most deserving person for the Butler Trust Award that I know for all the big things she does, but also for the daily little things she goes out of her way to do to make other peoples lives easier.”
Rachel Duff, Security Admin now PQuiP

“Finishing university and trying to find a job, Barb sent me an admin role at Askham, working opposite her. Not thinking about how this would change the work dynamics with being her niece, she helped me navigate the application and was extremely encouraging for me to go for the role. I was apprehensive, as at the time I didn’t have a driving licence so getting to work would have been a problem, with Askham being in the countryside and without regular local busses. Barb did not hesitate to collect and drop me off for work every day, not asking for petrol money and doing it even though it was going out of her way to so. Additionally, Barb gives a lift to a member of a different department who works in the nursery. Barb noticed that she had to cross the A64 every day for work and again, she did not hesitate to offer her help.

Working with my aunty is a delight. There is no mistaking that everyone adores her. People come from all over the building for her brownies she selflessly bakes every week, at an expense to herself. She is always thinking of others. One example of many would be that Barb brought in Malaysian worry dolls for a woman at work who worries about everything. Barb’s humour keeps the office morale high and there’s always a witty comment to be made. Even when it’s a manic Monday and things are stressful. Barb does so much for others, this award would be a small token of how much she does for everyone here at work. It would be fantastic to see her get recognition for all she does.”
Emma Reagan, Business Hub Admin

“Barbara – you are a lovely, pleasant person, kind, caring, you have a beautiful aura of pink glowing all around you. It was lovely knowing you.”
Prisoner card sent on release

Sign off

The nomination was signed off by the Deputy Governor, Trevor Brown.

What can be said about Barbara that hasn’t been said in the nomination and testimonials. If every prison had a Barbara what a happier world HMPPS would be.

Since arriving with us in 2019, from an education background, she has turned her hand to many things not generally experienced by a Band 3 admin member of staff. She is the go-to person for staff, managers and prisoners, if she doesn’t know the answer she always goes the extra mile to find out.

She always puts others needs ahead of her own. A prime example being her work during covid, despite her own anxieties she was the first to put herself forward as a tester when testing was introduced for prisoners and staff. Using her powers of persuasion and wicket dry sense of humour she was able to encourage others to attend testing and relax people during the process.

Nothing is too much trouble and she will always put herself out to assist others, be it IT, report writing, form filling, an ear to listen to, action planning or famously her chocolate brownies.

Barbara is a special person who you would always want in your lifeboat, can turn her hand to anything and boost morale. Like all special people, she is totally unaware of her worth and the special things she brings with her.