When someone believes in your potential before you do

Our scholar James has just received first class results in his Fine Art foundation degree and this summer takes up an internship though our employability programme with a major arts charity. Here he reflects on what has enabled him to embark on this journey and begin to believe in himself.

I was caught in a cycle of addiction and the revolving doors of the criminal justice system. Every sentence seemed to reinforce the idea that this was all my life would ever be. University wasn’t something I ever imagined for myself, and neither was a career as an artist. The turning point came when I became involved with the Liberty Kitchen project at Pentonville Prison (it provides the catering each year for the reception at Longford Lecture).

Through the programme, I found purpose, routine and, perhaps most importantly, people who expected something of me. When I was released, I continued working with Liberty Kitchen on the outside, helping run market stalls and events. For the first time, I wasn’t simply trying to avoid going backwards. I was trying to build a future.

Around that time, my solicitor told me about the Longford Trust and encouraged me to apply. The trust offered me a scholarship if I could secure a university place. That belief meant a great deal because, at that stage, I still wasn’t sure I believed in myself.

‘My offer was withdrawn. I can’t pretend that wasn’t crushing’

I decided to study Fine Art. I applied through clearing and received an offer from a university. It felt as though everything was finally falling into place. Then, during enrolment, I misunderstood the questions being asked about my criminal convictions. Wanting to be completely honest, I disclosed information that wasn’t actually required. My offer was withdrawn.

I can’t pretend that wasn’t crushing. It felt humiliating. Once again, it seemed as though my past had closed another door. When I spoke to the Longford Trust, they told me not to give up. They sat down with me, looked carefully at the wording in the enrolment process and explained that the university had asked only about ‘relevant’ convictions. Mine weren’t relevant to studying Fine Art.

‘My life has changed in ways I never expected’

Understanding that distinction changed everything. I reapplied and secured my place. That experience taught me that having people in my corner who understand the system can make all the difference. Sometimes it’s not your past that stands in the way, but not knowing how to navigate processes that are unfamiliar and intimidating.

Since then, university has changed my life in ways I never expected. I have a Longford Trust mentor, Michele, who supports me in a way that is much more than just being nice to me. I’ve completed my Foundation Year with an average of 72.3% across all five modules, achieving first-class marks. More importantly, I’ve discovered that art allows me to explore experiences that are difficult to express in words.

One of the proudest moments of my life came at our end-of-year exhibition. We transformed our studio into a professional exhibition space. For the first time I saw my work displayed not simply as coursework but as art. Standing there while my parents, my wider family, my solicitor—the person who first encouraged me to apply to the Longford Trust—and her colleagues walked around viewing my work was overwhelming. It wasn’t just an exhibition. It was a moment that made me realise how far I’d come.

‘What is possible when people are offered meaningful support’

My final major project was called The Bureaucracy of Shame (see illustration above). It explored the revolving doors of prison, the bureaucracy that can reduce people to numbers instead of recognising them as individuals, and the barriers that many people face when they genuinely want to change their lives. It was shaped by my own experiences, but it was also about something much bigger than me.

I know how fortunate I have been. Opportunities like the Liberty Kitchen project and the Longford Trust don’t come along for everyone, yet they demonstrate what is possible when people are offered meaningful support, trusted to grow, and given the chance to rebuild their lives.

This summer I will be taking another step forward thanks to the Longford Trust’s employability project through an internship with Koestler Arts as an Exhibition Assistant. I will be helping to showcase to the wider public artwork created by people in prison. It feels like a natural continuation of my journey—using art not only as a way of understanding my own experiences, but also of helping create opportunities for others.

The Longford Scholarship I am receiving isn’t simply financial support. It is somebody saying, ‘we believe you have potential’. That belief is with me through every setback, every application and every day at university when I question whether I belong there.

If you are in prison, or leaving prison, and thinking about applying to university, don’t let your past convince you that those opportunities aren’t meant for you. Ask questions. Keep going, even if you face setbacks. There will be moments when the system makes you feel like a number.

But you are far more than that.

The Longford Trust helped me see that I wasn’t defined by where I’d been. Today, through my studies and my art, I’m beginning to define myself by where I am going.

If you or someone you know is thinking about university but is held back by a lack of belief that it is for them, please do contact Clare Lewis, our scholarship manager and talk it over