The Opportunity That Changed My Life

Our past scholar, Chris Leslie, now CEO of Inside Out Support Wales, reflects on how he still draws every day in his work on his own experience of going to university with Longford Trust support, how it enabled him to believe in himself again, and how he is now instilling in young prison leavers that same belief and therefore a renewed self-confidence as they go forward 

 

When I was sitting in prison filling out my application to the Longford Trust, I had no idea it would change my life. I had left school at 15 with just one GCSE and very little formal education. While serving what would become my first and last prison sentence, I had made the decision that I wanted to study for a degree. I knew I wanted something different for my future. But university felt a million miles away from the life I was living and the reality was that there was very little support available for someone in my position. In fact, the Longford Trust was the only organisation able to help me to pursue that ambition. And they did. Looking back, I don’t think they just supported my education. They helped me believe I had a future.

I studied psychology, but the degree itself was only part of the journey. Longford provided practical support when I wasn’t eligible for student finance – but what they gave me went far beyond money. For the first time in a long time, I felt human. Nobody judged me for my past. Nobody defined me by my conviction. They simply saw somebody who wanted to move forward and were willing to help me do it. That mattered more than I can put into words.

I was not alone

I still remember attending my first Longford scholars’ event. The trust had helped me buy a suit so I could attend feeling confident and prepared. It might sound like a small thing, but it meant a great deal to me. Recently, I found myself helping someone else buy a suit for an important opportunity. It reminded me just how powerful those small acts of support can be.

Before Longford, my ambitions were fairly simple. I wanted to complete my degree and find a career where I could use it. What I didn’t expect was how much bigger my world would become. At Longford events and gatherings, I met people who had been through similar experiences but were now doing incredible things. I remember meeting another scholar who was working [via the trust as an intern] in the Cabinet Office and thinking, “maybe there are opportunities out there that I haven’t even considered”.

Such conversations changed my perspective. For the first time, I began to see myself differently. I stopped focusing on what I couldn’t do because of my past and started thinking about what might be possible despite it.

What my mentor gave me

A huge part of that journey was my Longford Trust mentor. He would travel hours just to meet with me. He was always early, always prepared and always professional. Through his example, he taught me lessons that went far beyond university. He showed me the importance of preparation, professionalism, consistency and taking pride in what you do. Most importantly, he treated me like a person. Not an ex-offender. Not a risk. Not a statistic. For him I was a person with potential.

The support from Longford continued through some of the most difficult periods of my life. I lost the use of my legs for almost a year and faced significant challenges in continuing my studies. Later, I became critically ill with Covid and spent several weeks in a coma. Throughout it all, Longford remained there. The calls continued. The encouragement continued. The support never disappeared.

That is something I will never forget.

Providing others with the same support I got

Today, my life looks very different from the one I imagined when I was sitting in a prison cell completing that application form. I am now the CEO of Inside Out Support Wales, a lived-experience-led organisation supporting people involved in the criminal justice system across Wales. Alongside this, I run my own consultancy, serve as a trustee for two charities, and have been fortunate enough to help develop programmes that are now supporting others to rebuild their lives. I speak at national conferences, contribute to policy discussions, work alongside prisons, probation services and universities, and support others to rebuild their lives. One of the projects I am most proud of is Brighter Pathways, a programme designed by prison leavers for prison leavers.

What started as an idea rooted in lived experience has since become a commissioned programme and has been independently evaluated. We have seen participants move into employment, education and training, rebuild their confidence and begin creating futures for themselves that once felt out of reach. When we developed Brighter Pathways, we wanted to create the kind of support that many of us wished had existed when we were leaving prison. Support that was practical, honest and rooted in understanding. In many ways, I see a direct connection between the support I received from Longford and the support we now try to provide to others.

The Longford Trust helped me see a future that I couldn’t yet see for myself. Through Brighter Pathways, I hope we are helping others do the same.

The ripple effect of support

One of my proudest moments came recently when I led an international learning exchange to Costa Rica. The group included people with previous convictions, several of whom were still on licence in the community. As I watched them board a plane, engage with professionals from another country and represent themselves with confidence, I found myself reflecting on my own journey. Years earlier, Longford had opened my eyes to possibilities I had never considered. Through its events, mentoring and network of support, I met people whose careers and achievements challenged my assumptions about what was possible after prison.

 

Working alongside probation services, we had been able to make the case for these individuals to travel and participate. Watching them share their experiences, learn from others and return home with a renewed sense of confidence was incredibly powerful. It reminded me that opportunity changes people. Sometimes all it takes is one person, one organisation or one conversation that helps someone see a future they couldn’t previously imagine.

For me, the Longford Trust was that organisation. I often think about the ripple effect of support. It believed in me long before I fully believed in myself.  So, if you are currently in prison and wondering whether to apply for their support, my advice is simple. Do it. Do not talk yourself out of it. Do not assume you are not good enough. Do not let your past convince you that opportunities like this are for somebody else. You never know where it might lead.

I certainly didn’t but applying to the Longford Trust was one of the most important decisions I have ever made.

If you are thinking of going on to study at university and want to know more about the help the Longford Trust can provide, contact Clare Lewis, our scholarship manager.