Stories From a Different Viewpoint ~ by Minnie Birch

Sharing stories has always been a big part of my life: from being read to as a child, weekly visits to Abbots Langley Library with my mum, collecting Saddle Club books in my early pre-teens, to working part time in a book shop, studying children’s literature at University, and then landing my dream job as a Young People’s Librarian. Alongside this, I also grew a passion for sharing stories in song and have been performing in bands and then as a solo artist since I was 13. 

When I was 21, I heard about the Charity ‘Storybook Dads’. The charity helps to keep imprisoned parents in touch with their children through the magic of Storytelling. I wanted to get involved and contacted my local prison to volunteer my services. 

The then Librarian, Sue Rickard, said they didn’t have a Storybook Dads project but if I wanted, I could set one up. I hadn’t been in a prison before and I hadn’t set up a small charity project before but I said yes. (I think that’s one of the great things about being 21! Not really questioning how sensible a choice is, or if you really have the time and capacity for something and just saying ‘yes’ and hoping it will work out.) With a lot of help from Sue, I was able to get the project up and running and we’ve now been going for over 10 years! 

So, what do we do? Well, we help parents in prison record bedtime stories and messages for their children. We help men choose stories, support them with their reading where needed, edit the recordings by taking out any mistakes and background noises, and adding some fun sound effects. 

For many families, these CDs are a lifeline that help heal rifts and build vital family relationships. It shows the children they are loved and missed. It helps prisoners feel valued as parents and gives them the opportunity to have a positive impact on their children’s lives.

The project is currently run by myself and is supported by an amazing volunteer named Chris, who comes in weekly to work with the men and another volunteer, Matt, who visits us once a month to help us with the back log of editing. 

These two are a lifeline to the project, kindly giving of their free time, and I am very fortunate to have them on board – it is not always an easy place to work and their flexibility and enthusiasm is vital to keeping things going.

Every year in the UK, 200,000 children experience the imprisonment of a parent. It often leads to shame, guilt, and isolation, resulting in failure at school. These children are three times more prone to mental health problems than their peers. Keeping in contact can be difficult from behind bars; prisoners may be held long distances from their families. Those that maintain contact are up to 6 times less likely to re-offend.

In 2018, 116 men took part in our project. That is something I am incredibly proud of because it has been achieved in a landscape where resources to get things done in prisons are extremely low and, in truth, we have struggled to keep ourselves going. We receive some lovely feedback from the families involved and that’s the incentive to keep trying to find new ways to make this work. We are looking forward to delivering more sessions in 2019. 

If you are interested in listening to one of the recorded stories, please click HERE

To find out more about the charity click HERE

Of course, as a musician when I heard there was a music class taking place in the prison I went to have a nose around…fast forward a few years and I am now also involved in music sessions and music tech classes…but that’s perhaps a story for another blog.

 Glitter courtesy of YouTube

Minnie writes dark, plaintive, beautiful music about life, love, adventures, and fairy tales. Following slots supporting Joan Armatrading and a stint at Edinburgh fringe, Minnie has been wooing audiences all over the place with tours in Iceland, America, Europe, and all over the U.K under her belt. Her debut album received national airplay on BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, and on BBC Radio 1 as Huw Stephen’s Introducing Artist of the Week.

"Her riveting and sometimes shocking lyrics are getting the recognition they deserve."  --Time Out Magazine

"Minnie is quite the wordsmith, knowing not just when to sing, but when to leave phrases hanging to concentrate on the meaning. Silence can say so much and Minnie knows how to use it, almost as an instrument to contrast against not only what is being sung, but what is being played."   --FATEA Magazine