News and views

Discover the latest news from Shannon Trust and explore our views on recent changes to prison education.

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2/3
of people

in prison can't read or struggle to

11,898
learners

engaged in our programmes in the last 12 months

140,201
learning sessions

in the past 12 months

Shannon Trust is a charity that helps adults improve reading and numeracy skills in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, in prisons and community settings. We offer peer mentoring and structured learning programmes to support people to build confidence, independence, and better life opportunities.
Read more about our work

What we do

Two people sitting in a library reading the 'Turning Pages Mini Manual' brochure.

Our programmes

Read more about our programmes, Count Me In and Turning Pages, and how they work.

News and views

Discover the latest news from Shannon Trust and our views on learning in prison.

Impact

View our latest impact reports and see how many learners we're currently helping.

How can you help

A Shannon Trust mentor and learner sit at a round table. The mentor rests his hand on the table next to a Count Me In manual, with the Turning Pages mini manuals further back on the table.

Donate

Give a gift today and help make sure nobody in prison is left out of learning.

Person jogging on a park path wearing a blue shirt with 'Shannon Trust Nobody left out of learning' printed on the back.

Fundraise

From bake sales and sponsored runs, there are many ways you can help raise vital funds for Shannon Trust.

Two smiling women holding a wooden award engraved with 'Tom Shannon Award Winner 2025'.

Volunteer

Join us today to make a real difference to individuals in the criminal justice sector.

For the first time I feel like I am really making progress with numeracy, it has always been so difficult for me before.

Shannon Trust learner

I believe in myself now. I’m much more independent. I can’t get over that I can pick up a book and read it. It’s a miracle!

Shannon Trust learner

The rewards you get from seeing one of your learners read a page from a book they could not read before they started working with you, is the same as seeing your child walk for the first time.

Shannon Trust mentor

Learning with Shannon Trust

A mentor and a learner going though one of the Turning Pages manuals

We know a lot of people have had bad learning experiences in the past, so our programmes are designed to be different. Find out how it works, and how you or someone you know can get involved.

Learn more about our programmes

Latest news

About Shannon Trust