The Prison Phoenix Trust
The Prison Phoenix Trust is a UK-registered charity founded in 1988 that delivers trauma-informed yoga, meditation, written mentoring, and specialist resources to more than 5,000 people annually across 60+ prisons in the UK and Ireland, funded by donations, grants, and MoJ contracts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersOxford, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Prison Phoenix Trust does
The Prison Phoenix Trust is a UK-registered charity (no. 1163558) founded in 1988, headquartered in Oxford, and operating across prisons in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Its core function is delivering trauma-informed yoga and meditation to people in prison, with services designed for accessibility to individuals across faith backgrounds, literacy levels, and trauma histories. The organisation supports more than 5,000 people in prison annually across 60+ prisons and runs 130+ weekly classes, with a peer-support newsletter reaching nearly 5,000 prisoners quarterly.
The PPT operates an integrated four-service platform: (1) in-prison group classes delivered by 50+ specialist Prison Yoga Teachers trained in trauma-informed practice; (2) one-to-one written mentoring by post between trained volunteer mentors and prisoners; (3) a quarterly peer-support newsletter distributed in print and digitally; and (4) specialist educational resources including DVDs, CDs, books, and illustrated handouts (e.g., 'Time Out Inside', 'Yoga Without Words', 'Peace Inside'). In 2025 it launched 'Freedom Inside with Yoga', a 12-week digital course embedded on prison service laptops (Launchpads), co-developed with HMPPS and Royal Holloway University of London as part of a 2-year research project. Content is also broadcast via National Prison Radio to 100+ prisons.
The business model is a charitable non-profit structure. Revenue is generated through individual donations, BBC Radio 4 appeals (one campaign raised ~£58,000 in mid-2025), grants and trusts (Sir Halley Stewart Trust, Halcrow Foundation, 1772 Charity, Prince of Wales Charitable Trust), legacy giving, and contracted service delivery via the Ministry of Justice Dynamic Purchasing System (e.g., HMP Maidstone contract). All end-user resources are provided free of charge to prisons and prisoners; the GTM motion is community-led, relying on trusted relationships with prison authorities, chaplains, education departments, peer mentors, and Quaker community networks, supplemented by event-driven fundraising and earned media through patron advocacy.
The Prison Phoenix Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Prison Phoenix Trust
- Legal name
- The Prison Phoenix Trust CIO
- Website
- https://theppt.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Prison Phoenix Trust is a UK-registered charity founded in 1988 that delivers trauma-informed yoga, meditation, written mentoring, and specialist resources to more than 5,000 people annually across 60+ prisons in the UK and Ireland, funded by donations, grants, and MoJ contracts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Prison Phoenix Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Prison Rehabilitation Services
- NAICS
- Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Parole Offices and Probation Offices (922150)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Correctional Health, Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (In-Custody) (BPAKANAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry) (BPAIAFAE), Juvenile Justice Education Programs (Detention & Correctional Education) (EDAJAEAB)
Keywords
Where The Prison Phoenix Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oxford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Prison Phoenix Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable Donations and Fundraising: The PPT is a registered charity (no. 1163558) funded primarily through donations from individuals, trusts, and foundations. Donations are solicited through direct appeals, fundraising events, BBC Radio 4 Appeal campaigns, and community fundraising packs. A summer appeal raised nearly £58,000 in mid-2025 including £21,000 in match funding.
- Legacy Giving (Gifts in Wills): The PPT receives gifts left in supporters' wills, which are described as crucial to funding prisoner support such as mentoring correspondence, materials, and classes. The organisation actively promotes legacy giving and provides suggested legal wording for donors.
- Contracted Service Delivery: The PPT holds contracts with prison authorities (e.g., HMP Maidstone, and 9 other prisons) to deliver yoga and meditation programmes. Contracts are awarded through the Ministry of Justice Dynamic Purchasing System, providing a revenue stream for programme delivery.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free resources for prisons and criminal justice establishments |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Prison Phoenix Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Prison Phoenix Trust delivers trauma-informed yoga and meditation programmes to people in prison across the UK and Ireland. Its offering comprises four integrated service lines: weekly group yoga and meditation classes delivered by specialist Prison Yoga Teachers in prisons, one-to-one written mentoring by trained volunteers, quarterly peer-support newsletters, and free specialist educational resources (DVDs, CDs, books, illustrated handouts). All services are provided free of charge to prisons, secure hospitals, and criminal justice establishments.
Product overview
The Prison Phoenix Trust offers a unified suite of rehabilitation services combining four core offerings: group yoga and meditation classes taught by trained teachers, individual mentoring through correspondence, peer-support newsletters, and specialist educational resources (DVDs, CDs, books, handouts). Recently expanded to include digital learning through the 'Freedom Inside with Yoga' course on prison laptops. The organization supports over 5,000 people annually across 60+ prisons in the UK and Ireland, focusing on trauma-informed, accessible practices for people of any faith or none.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Yoga Classes in Prison
Quantifiable outcome
- 84% of 40 participants reported a meaningful improvement in mental wellbeing (WEMWBS); low wellbeing fell from 69% to 5%; moderate wellbeing rose from 31% to 78%; high wellbeing rose from 0% to 18% (2023–24)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Prison Phoenix Trust
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Prison Phoenix Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
The Prison Phoenix Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, significant, minor and supporting.
- His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS)coreHMPPS is a key strategic partner in the digital yoga pilot at HMP Erlestoke. The 2-year research project involves collaboration with HMPPS's Launchpad team to embed the 'Freedom Inside with Yoga' 12-week course on prison service laptops, aiming to build an evidence base for digital learning and enrichment in criminal justice settings.
- Royal Holloway University of LondoncoreRoyal Holloway is collaborating on the 2-year research project for the digital yoga course, working with the PPT and HMPPS to build evaluation tools into the course design to ascertain effectiveness. Professor Rosie Meek, a prison yoga specialist, is working with the PPT to build evaluation frameworks.
- Change Grow LivecoreChange Grow Live is a health and social care charity commissioned by the probation service to explore new ways of helping people break cycles of offending. They partnered with the PPT to deliver yoga and meditation programmes in four prisons (HMP Bristol, Portland, Guys Marsh, and Channings Wood) as part of a holistic resettlement approach.
- Quaker Communities (UK and Ireland)significantQuaker communities across the UK and Ireland are invited to partner with the PPT to support people in prison through yoga and meditation. Partners hold collections, feature the PPT in newsletters, share stories through community networks, and request fundraising packs.
- Levi RootsminorCelebrity chef and businessman Levi Roots promoted the 'Freedom Inside with Yoga' digital course launch at HMP Erlestoke, successfully engaging one in five of the prison's population in the programme.
- thirtyone:eightsupportingthirtyone:eight is the PPT's third-party safeguarding consultancy (PO Box 133, Swanley, Kent, BR8 7UQ; 0303 003 1111). Their safeguarding policy is based on the ten safeguarding standards published by thirtyone:eight.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Prison Phoenix Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Mind: Leading UK mental health charity. While serving a much broader population, Mind's work on mental wellbeing, trauma, and recovery overlaps with the PPT's trauma-informed mental health mission in prisons, and they often partner on mental health policy and prisoner wellbeing.
- British Wheel of Yoga: The national governing body for yoga in the UK. A PPT teacher won their Heart of Yoga Award in 2025, and they share the yoga teacher training infrastructure that the PPT draws on; they are an adjacent peer in the UK yoga ecosystem.
- Samaritans: UK-wide charity providing emotional support, including a dedicated prison listener scheme. While operating at much larger scale and with a different modality, Samaritans address the same mental health and emotional regulation needs in UK prisons.
- Prison Reform Trust: UK's leading independent prison reform charity, working on policy, advocacy, and rehabilitation. The PPT engages with Parliament alongside them and Prison Reform Trust runs the Hope and Fulfilment Awards where a PPT mentee won; both target the same prison population though with different modalities.
Direct peers
- Change Grow Live: National health and social care charity commissioned by probation services to deliver rehabilitation programmes. They are an active partner of The PPT, jointly delivering yoga in four prisons as part of resettlement support, making them a directly comparable operator in the prison rehabilitation space.
- Pact (Prison Advice and Care Trust): UK charity providing advice, support, and rehabilitation services to people in prison and their families. Pact operates across UK prisons with a similar beneficiary population, working through prison partnerships to deliver person-centred support.
- Restore Trust: UK charity supporting ex-offenders and people in prison through one-to-one mentoring and rehabilitation programmes. Their mentoring-led model closely parallels the PPT's written mentoring service, with overlap in target beneficiaries and prison access.
Emerging players
- Off The Record (Twickenham): UK charity providing mental health and wellbeing support to young people, including those in contact with the criminal justice system. Partial overlap with the PPT's young offender work (15-18 age group) in mental health and emotional regulation.
- Liberation Prison Yoga: US-based nonprofit providing trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness in prisons. Operates the same trauma-informed yoga-in-prisons model in a different geography, making them a strong functional peer despite being outside the UK.
Regional players
- Anawim: Birmingham-based Catholic charity working with women in the criminal justice system, providing holistic support, personal development, and rehabilitation services. Operates a similar prison-to-community model in a defined regional catchment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Prison Phoenix Trust social profiles
Digital presenceThe Prison Phoenix Trust compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
The Prison Phoenix Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Prison Phoenix Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
The Prison Phoenix Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Prison Phoenix Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Prison Phoenix Trust
What does The Prison Phoenix Trust do?
The Prison Phoenix Trust delivers trauma-informed yoga and meditation programmes to people in prison across the UK and Ireland. Its offering comprises four integrated service lines: weekly group yoga and meditation classes delivered by specialist Prison Yoga Teachers in prisons, one-to-one written mentoring by trained volunteers, quarterly peer-support newsletters, and free specialist educational resources (DVDs, CDs, books, illustrated handouts). All services are provided free of charge to prisons, secure hospitals, and criminal justice establishments.
Is The Prison Phoenix Trust a public or private company?
The Prison Phoenix Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Prison Phoenix Trust founded?
The Prison Phoenix Trust was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Prison Phoenix Trust based?
The Prison Phoenix Trust is headquartered in Oxford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Prison Phoenix Trust make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Charitable Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are legacy Giving (Gifts in Wills) and contracted Service Delivery.
Who are The Prison Phoenix Trust's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Mind, British Wheel of Yoga, Samaritans and Prison Reform Trust. Direct peers are Change Grow Live, Pact (Prison Advice and Care Trust) and Restore Trust. Emerging players are Off The Record (Twickenham) and Liberation Prison Yoga. Anawim is listed as a regional player.
Does The Prison Phoenix Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Prison Phoenix Trust.
What industry is The Prison Phoenix Trust in?
The Prison Phoenix Trust's product category is Prison Rehabilitation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAKANAG, Correctional Health, Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (In-Custody), with a secondary code of BPAIAFAE, Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry). Its NAICS code is 621420 and its SIC code is 8300.