Why I’m going to Prison…

I am going to Prison.

I have been sentenced to 24 hours in Shepton Mallet Prison, in Somerset, also known as The Glass House Prison or Cornhill. In 2013 this was the oldest operational prison in the country, where the Kray Twins, Charlie Robinson and Amelia Dyer were all imprisoned. Built in 1610, with walls 75ft high and used during the second world war as a military prison. There have been an unknown number of executions, as it was formerly a category C lifers prison and at least seven convicts bodies are buried within the prison walls. 

The prison is reopening in October and I am being incarcerated for a crime which was reported by my husband, and despite me pleas of innocence, I have been found guilty. My crime…  “spending at least 15 hours per day on technology, ranging from social media on phone, laptop and tablet, to Netflix on TV”. According to my husband, I have other crimes too, such as “being consistently late for everything” and “eating too much cake”, however, SOS Africa were only sentencing for one crime.

SOS Africa are incarcerating 200 people for crimes reported by their friends and family, for 24 hours, in order to raise money for the education of African children. The plan is to launch a new education programme in the Western cape and this event, will raise the money for the children’s tuition.

All inmates must raise a minimum of £240 each for SOS Africa as punishment for their crimes. We will then be locked in cells inside the prison for 24hours. My incarceration will take place on 17th October and I will be released on 18th October. SOS Africa state that their “fiercest volunteers” will be acting as prison guards to keep the inmates under control.

I believe they are still taking prisoners, if you’d like to nominate someone you know. Maybe they haven’t bought you a drink for a while? Perhaps they snore so loud that they keep you awake? Maybe their shower singing is worthy of imprisonment?

I now need you, dear reader, to sponsor inmate 047 (that’s me), so that I may serve my time and help the African children. I also need sponsorship because, bearing in mind my crime, inmates are not permitted to take any form of technology into prison

Can you believe that?!

I will however, in return for your kind and generous sponsorship, make my time in prison worthwhile and vow to spend far less time using technology upon my release!

And if that doesn’t convince you of why you should sponsor me… check out this video all about the amazing work that SOS Africa do to help educate children in Africa.