COMMENDEE 2023-24: Patrick’s Commendation is for the enthusiasm and leadership he shows as the PE Custodial Manager at HMP Birmingham; for making the gym into a safe and engaging space for every prisoner; and for the support he and his team provide for staff wellbeing and fitness, too.

Pat’s nomination

Initial Recommendation

Pat was initially recommended by: Jacqueline Quirke (Head of Reducing Reoffending, HMP Birmingham).

Pat joined the Prison service on June 22nd 1992 and was posted to HMP Birmingham. Although Pat has 31 years of service, this amount of time has not seen his enthusiasm or commitment wane, he is a wonderful ambassador for the service and HMP Birmingham. He is proud and passionate about the work he undertakes with prisoners and staff, truly wanting to make a difference.

Pat is one of only a few Principal Officers left in the service and the only one at Birmingham, there are many attributes and qualities that stand out regarding Pat and it is difficult to capture them all and this nomination will not do justice to the impact and his achievements to date. In summary:

Pat in 31 years has only had one period of sickness of 5 days for a pre-planned operation, this is a testament of never wanting to let anyone down.

He takes staff out on wellbeing walks around the canals of Birmingham to support both stress, wellbeing, and fitness.

He is a great networker and has links with Aston Villa who attend to do the Twinning Project for our men (they absolutely see his worth and he was offered a job to do coaching for them).

He leads by example and has extremely high standards; we have had difficulties resourcing PEIS and the team ran at 50%, yet this did not impact our men and Pat and the team did all they could to maintain the same provision. This continues and is always a positive in HMIP and MQPL and through the staff council.

He leads the team in staff wellbeing days which they co-facilitate.

Pat and the team arrange activities for staff to improve teamwork and bring a community spirit.

They are always raising money for charity and this year they have done sponsored events with prisoners for a regional sponsor and Combat For Heroes.

He helps to change the culture at HMP Birmingham by having a can-do attitude which cascades to his team and our prisoners, nothing is ever too much, and he will always go above and beyond. He enables prisoners to attend an area and for the two hours they are in their session, you would not know they are in prison, it is their getaway area.

Pat is a humble man and I admire his strength of character and resilience, he never misses work or drops his commitments, and never brings his heartache to work. He turns up puts a smile on and no one would guess how he is actually feeling or what he is going through. That is the testament of this wonderful man who is an outstanding asset for HMPPS.

Testimonials (from HMP Birmingham)

Pat’s nomination included the following testimonials:

Pat loves the service and his work and strives to build hope in prisoners by showing them what they can achieve and that they are valued. I asked prisoners to describe Pat and the Gym and this is just a small sample of what they said:

• Prisoner A “Mr Brown is a great guy, the gym is my safe place and staff here treat us with respect”
• Prisoner B “He is always happy, we all respect him, he is a top man, prisoners respect him”
• Prisoner C “He is one of the good guys”.

When asking a staff member how they would describe Pat they said: “what he does not know about PE is not worth knowing, he makes gym enjoyable and I put my trust in him”.

An email received from an external colleague:
“I’d just like to express my sincere thanks for the attendance of Pat Brown this week for National PE Pre-selection as an assessor. As you know Pat has a wealth of experience and enthusiasm for PE. His attendance is very much appreciated. Pat is a credit to HMP Birmingham and PE, delivering a first-class service for us.”

Additional information (from HMP Birmingham)

HMP Birmingham provided the following additional testimony in support of Pat’s nomination:

Pat is a well-respected member of the HMP Birmingham team, he has played a crucial part in supporting HMP Birmingham to be safe, decent and secure. Pat has a can-do attitude, his knowledge of physical education is legendary and both prisoners and staff trust his advice and guidance.

During the transition from G4S to HMPPS, staff who were not previously required to complete a fitness test were faced with having to complete these yearly tests again. Pat was ready to support his colleagues. He developed fitness sessions during lunchtimes and he held staff health reviews on training days. He made sure he was around to support staff who might not get the result they were expecting. Pat is a motivator, he will not accept failure and he takes pride in what he does.

Pat has created a haven in the gymnasium. Prisoners, including those who would not normally go to the gym, love their gym sessions. It is a place that is not prison, and for the 2 hours that they are there, they can forget their troubles and focus on their own well-being.

Pat has developed excellent relationships with outside community teams, he has hosted special events including a dads and children football match to improve family ties.

At times, the organisation has struggled to recruit to the PE (Physical Education) Instructor posts; this impacted on the number of sessions the gym could provide. Pat was frustrated by this and addressed the issue by promoting the role to new staff, he developed a programme to upskill a Prison Officer who had an affinity with PE. He supported them through the training and we now have a fully qualified PE Instructor. Pat will use this model again to fill future vacancies and ensure that we are able to maximise gym sessions.

The past few years have been difficult, during Covid, the gym, just like the community facilities could not be used. Pat produced a business case for equipment in the exercise yards, and while waiting for this to be installed, he ensured that gym staff delivered socially distance open air activity sessions. This had a massive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the prison population. As soon as the gym could be opened again, he increased the usage by offering tailored sessions to meet the needs of the prison community.

I am therefore very happy to support this nomination for recognition of all of his hard work and dedication.

Sign off

The nomination was signed off by the Director, Paul Newton.

I am very pleased to support this nomination. Pat is an inspiration to his colleagues and the men in our care. He has a willingness to accept responsibility and always goes that extra mile. He is a natural leader and role model. Over the years Pat has enabled equitable access to a range of Physical Education (PE) and wellbeing activities. Hundreds of prisoners have been introduced, many for the first time, to participate in varied sporting activities. The positive atmosphere and safe environment created in the Gymnasium is a real testimony to Pat and his leadership.

During my 5 year tenure, many prisoners have taken the time to offer and explain their thoughts about how Pat has positively impacted upon their time in custody. Aligned to this is similar thoughts from his colleagues.

The past history of HMP Birmingham has been chequered and has been well rehearsed in the public and media space. Pat has been one of my trusted managers who has been central to the successful navigation of some challenging periods. PE in prisons is a key and critical regime offer. Very often Pat has been instrumental to diffuse tension and anxiety, within wings, by facilitating purposeful time out of cell in a range of related PE activities. His flexibility and innovative approach has been recognised by independent inspectorate/audit teams and 3rd sector organisations. This incredible hard work has significantly contributed to a range of improvements within our prison. Pleasingly, and linked to Pat’s work, the recent narrative is much improved and positive.

To conclude, Pat is an outstanding leader who in my opinion, is worthy of national recognition by the Butler Trust.