Charity marks the 25th anniversary of prison visitor centre

The facility, run by Nepacs, was opened on April 29, 1993, by HRH The Princess Royal.

Nepacs’ staff and volunteers now welcome around 29,000 visitors each year at the HMP Northumberland centre and also provide support for prisoners with family issues.

The visitors’ centre has a café, play area for children and lots of advice and information on a range of topics.

Staff and volunteers focus on providing a warm welcome and ensuring that visitors can relax and unwind after long journeys in order to focus on the visit ahead.

The anniversary will be celebrated with a birthday cake and joining in the celebrations will be staff from the prison, the High Sheriff of Northumberland and Nepacs’ staff and volunteers, past and present.

Some of the centre’s long-serving volunteers will also be recognised for their hard work and dedication.

The birthday celebrations are taking place alongside a volunteer open day which will give potential helpers the chance to come along, find out what is involved in volunteering and speak to other volunteers about what they get out of the experience.

Further details of all volunteer opportunities with Nepacs are on the website www.nepacs.co.uk