Tempus Novo has a unique strength; it’s understanding and direct links into the British prison system. The Tempus Novo model is based on being bespoke, personal and sustainable. We work with a growing number of employers in and around Yorkshire who share the same vision and are willing to give ex-offenders a second chance.
In 2014, two former senior prison officers, Steve Freer and Val Wawrosz, decided they had to act on what they had seen.
Too often they had witnessed the same faces back on the landings. And then in the latter years of their service, the sons of the men they were locking up started to appear too.
These men were trapped in a cycle of crime where even if they wanted to find employment and leave that world behind, their criminal history prevented them from doing so. Yet many of them were just desperate for an opportunity to prove themselves in the workplace.
Steve and Val saw this as an opportunity. Using their extensive knowledge and experience of the criminal justice system, they set about putting together a charity model to break the cycle of re-offending.
There is no doubt that having over 100 years of prisons experience in the team, gives us a huge advantage when working with ex-offenders. However what is equally important is having a passion to help people, and a real sense of purpose that drives the whole organisation. There is a genuine desire to make a difference here at Tempus Novo, and we are fortunate to have a team of talented, motivated and driven professionals.
Steve has worked in the criminal justice system since 1986. Starting at HMP Wormwood Scrubs he worked with some of the most notorious criminals in the UK. Since then he has managed a wide range of projects in prisons in the North of England. More recently he worked as Business Development Manager at HMP Leeds and it was during this time he developed a successful model for rehabilitating ex-offenders based on employment. Keen to do more Steve decided to set up Tempus Novo.
George Grant is a former foreign correspondent, policy analyst and Parliamentary candidate who now manages the estate at Stockeld Park, his family home. As Chairman of the Board, George is ultimately responsible for the sound governance of Tempus Novo as well as representing the charity on behalf of the Trustees.
Whilst working as a journalist, George covered a range of prison-related issues, from mental health in British prisons, to the treatment of men awaiting trial in post-Gaddafi Libya. George is a keen runner, squash player and cyclist, and together with his wife Georgina is an active member of his local church.
Andy was found in a Harrods carrier bag on the steps of Guy’s hospital and he has lived an extraordinary life ever since. He spent his teenage years kicking against the system and spent time in Borstal, although it was there that he came across the career to define the rest of his life, the army. He knew he was different to most and so joined 22 SAS. During the first Gulf War he commanded Bravo Two Zero, a patrol that, in the words of his commanding officer, ‘will remain in regimental history for ever’. Awarded both the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) and Military Medal (MM) during his career, Mcnab was the British Army’s most highly decorated serving soldier when he finally left the SAS in February 1993. BOOKS Andy McNab has written about his experiences in the SAS in three bestselling books. Bravo Two Zero is the highest selling war book of all time and has sold over 10 million copies in the UK alone. It has been published in 17 countries and translated into 16 languages. Immediate Action, McNab’s autobiography, spent 18 weeks at the top of the bestseller lists. Seven Troop was a Sunday Times Top 5 bestseller in hardback and paperback. McNab is involved in a number of film projects on both sides of the Atlantic. He has worked as an advisor on a number of Hollywood films including Heat, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbour, The Expendables and The Transporter series.
Val has been working in the criminal justice system since 1988, starting his career working at HMYOI Huntercombe with young Offenders. He has worked with every type of prisoner from remands to those serving a life sentence. Val`s passion for the rehabilitation of offenders contributed to the creation of Tempus Novo.
After university Charles worked in Kenya and as a re-insurance broker in the London market before returning home to manage the family estate at Escrick Park, near York. During his tenure, the estate has diversified considerably and now includes commercial lettings, a 220 pitch holiday park, wedding venues and a cross-country riding course.
Passionate about reducing reoffending, over eight years ago Charles started and chairs for a fundraising committee for a residential rehabilitation centre in Hull run by the Forward Trust, supporting the recovery for addicted ex-offenders.
Since returning home, Charles has been Chairman of the Trustees of Selby Abbey and the Appeal, a governor of Queen Margaret’s School, Chairman of the CLA Yorkshire branch, a Trustee of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and High Sheriff of of North Yorkshire in 2015/16.
Isabel Oakeshott is a writer, broadcaster and public speaker. A panellist on BBC1’s Sunday Politics show, she is also a regular guest on BBC1’s Question Time and Radio 4’s Any Questions. Until 2014, she was Political Editor of the Sunday Times.She left to co-write an unauthorised biography of Prime Minister David Cameron with Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC. The book attracted global publicity. She went on to become Political Editor At Large on the Daily Mail and is now writing a book on the state of the British Armed Forces, also with Lord Ashcroft. Isabel lives in London and Oxfordshire with her three young children.
Paul has worked in different areas of rehabilitation, including several years in housing support. He joined the team in January 2017, bringing with him a wealth of experience, knowledge and importantly a passion to change lives.
Val has an extensive criminal justice background having served as a magistrate for 23 years and 20 years as a member of an Independent Monitoring Board which has a watchdog role within prisons.
Her experience includes work in the Youth and Adult crime courts, as Chairman of the Family Proceedings Panel and as a member of the Bench Management Group.
In addition she has been a member of the Management Committee of the Visitors’ Centre at HMP Leeds for many years and is an officer of Bradford Courts Chaplaincy Service whose volunteers assist and support people attending Magistrates’ and Crown Courts.
Chris is a local businessman who is passionate about helping those less fortunate than himself. Although he now runs a successful marketing company employing 40 staff and with a t/o of £12M it hasn’t always been good for Chris. Twelve years ago he found himself battling drink and drugs and lost a thriving business, and most of his family relationships. Chris fortunately found a way back in to society and now wants to use his own journey to help some of our graduates to succeed in life. He has now mended his relationships with his family, in particular with his 17 year old daughter. Has remarried and has two boys aged 7 and 8. In Chris’ own words “My Life is beyond my wildest dreams now!”
Neil is a former Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Marshalls PLC and a long-time supporter of numerous local charities. Over the years he has raised several hundreds of thousands for the Overgate Hospice in Halifax. Organising many a sportsman’s dinner and using his impressive contact list to pull the crowds in. It is his “giving nature” which resulted in him being bestowed the honour of Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire , something only a handful of people achieve! He joins Tempus Novo at an exciting time and is looking forward to adding his passion and skills to the cause.
As former director of The Aspire Academy at Northern Gas Networks, Gareth is passionate about intrapreneurship and has used his knowledge and experience to build winning teams at many large businesses.
Gareth has worked as a director at board level and managed multi million pound budgets prior to starting up his new venture The Centre For Enterprise. His ability to instil a positive attitude and innovative thinking in to the culture of a business will support Tempus Novo through the inevitable challenges we will face on our journey.
Diane is Founder & Chief Executive of literary, broadcast and speaking agency Northbank Talent Management which she founded in 2018 following a twenty year career in book publishing. She has a strong interest in domestic policy, currently serving as a non-executive director of the think tank Bright Blue, and an interest in arts policy to which she brings a pro-market approach. She serves on the advisory board of the Conservative Arts & Creative Industries Network, which exists to facilitate dialogue between creative industries practitioners and government; she recently served on the development board of the Ovalhouse Theatre, which commissions new work in response to today’s social and political issues, tasked with successfully raising £11m to move to its new home in Brixton in 2020; and she is a trustee of the Eden Valley Museum.
Diane believes that work has the power to transform lives and aside from her work with Tempus Novo, she is an advisor to The Entrepreneurs’ Network, the UK’s leading think tank in producing cutting-edge research into the best policies to support entrepreneurship, and she is a member of the Conservative Party Business & Entrepreneurs’ Forum.
David is Head of Political Engagement for the UK and Europe at HSBC. He began his career as a newsreader in independent local radio in the late 1990s. After a stint on News Direct, the sister station to LBC, David was recruited by the BBC to produce programmes on the rolling TV news channel then known as BBC News 24. In 2001, he moved back to radio as a producer on Radio 4’s World At One and PM programmes. David produced reportage for the BBC around Europe, in Washington, New York, Jerusalem and Gaza but increasingly specialised in creating in-depth political coverage from Westminster. In 2004 David was invited to join Radio 4’s flagship breakfast news show, Today, where he became an Output Editor, in overall charge of the content and production of the three-hour live news programme from London.
An opportunity to move into the political world arose in 2007 when then Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne approached David to become his Press Secretary. After two busy years covering the economic beat, supporting Mr Osborne in shadowing first Gordon Brown and then Alistair Darling during the financial crisis, David was appointed Chief of Staff to Ken Clarke, who became Justice Secretary in the 2010 election. As Ken Clarke’s Special Adviser with responsibility for prisons and sentencing policy, David was instrumental in raising the profile of working prisons, committing the government to backing companies that go into prisons and invest in training and education for offenders.
David moved into the corporate world in 2014, as Director of UK Communications for the global paint and coatings company, AkzoNobel. Having been introduced to the inspiring work of Tempus Novo while at the MoJ, David was then invited to become an ambassador, an offer he was delighted to accept.
Kathryn worked as a volunteer at Tempus Novo Charity for almost 2 months, before she became a permanent full-time case worker for Tempus Novo. She worked as a Prison Officer at HMP Leeds for 18 years, and this is where she met both Steve and Val over the last 7 years in her role at the prison.
Kath’s incredible work in prisons was recognised by the Prison Officer of The Year Award 2019.
“They both used to excitedly tell me all about the fantastic progress they were making, and how well their TN Charity was doing at getting ex-offenders back into sustainable employment. We all need that extra help and support at some time in our lives and I am extremely pleased & proud to be a part of the Tempus Novo Team.”
Henry currently works at Deloitte, as a Director in their Debt and Capital Advisory team, where he specialises in helping companies navigate through the process of raising debt finance. Henry started his career in Deloitte’s audit practice, gaining experience across a range of businesses as well as qualifying as a Chartered Accountant.
After being introduced to Tempus Novo, Henry was struck by the large impact small changes can make on the lives of ex-offenders and their families.
Outside of work, Henry is a keen cyclist and enjoys spending time out in the countryside with his wife and children.
Founder of the Prison Radio Association, Roma is a social entrepreneur and experienced chair, committed to social change and supporting the charitable sector. Throughout her career Roma has been actively involved in supporting and leading a number of charities. Roma is a criminal justice advisor and founded the Make Justice Work campaign. She is a trustee at The Comedy School and currently chair of Clinks, president of the Prison Radio Association and ambassador to Tempus Novo and Switchback. She is a member of the Association of Chairs and has acted as chair for a wide range of organisations in the sector.
Camilla Tominey is Associate Editor for Politics and Royals at The Telegraph in London and a royal expert for the American television network NBC News and Nine Network Australia’s royal insider. She was formerly Political Editor, Royal Editor and columnist for the Sunday Express. She also frequently appears on ITV’s This Morning, Lorraine and Good Morning Britain. She has also recently appeared on Question Time on BBC One and Radio 4’s Any Questions? in her capacity as a member of the Westminster Lobby.
Camilla first started reporting on the British Royal Family in 2005, when she covered Prince Charles’s marriage to Camilla Parker-Bowles at the Windsor Guildhall, watched by millions around the world. Since then she has reported on all the major Royal stories, including Prince William’s engagement to Kate Middleton, their subsequent marriage and the births of Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Her world exclusive scoops include breaking the news of Prince Harry’s relationship with Meghan Markle, which was nominated for Scoop of the Year at the 2016 British Press Awards. She also broke the world exclusive news of Prince Andrew being held at gunpoint at Buckingham Palace, a story that was reported around the globe in 2013.
Camilla co-anchored the Royal Wedding for NBC’s Today Show alongside the historian Andrew Roberts, contributing to programming across the network that was watched by 55 million viewers.
An authority on Royalty, Camilla has spent the past decade shadowing the Royals at home and on tour. A seasoned interviewer, Camilla has been granted exclusive access to interview many members of the Royal Family including Prince Philip, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, Zara Phillips and Sophie Wessex.
An experienced on-screen commentator, Camilla has given her expert analysis on both royals and politics to TV and radio stations around the world and is a regular on the BBC, ITV, Channel 5 and Sky News in Britain.
Internationally, she has worked with CBC, CTV and Global in Canada, Nine Network Australia, Germany’s ZDF and ARD, RTL in France and countless more broadcasters. She first started working with NBC News in 2010 and since then has contributed to cutting-edge news programming on all aspects of the Royal Family – as well as covering the Westminster terror attack for the network in 2017.
Camilla lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and three children.
Stuart started his professional career as a teacher in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. He had studied at the former Leeds Carnegie College and played rugby for Headingley (now Leeds Carnegie) and he went on to be their first player to reach 100 games. With 5 outstanding years as the Leeds Academy manager, Stuart produced some of Englands best young talent during this period, including Danny Care, Luther Burrell and Jordan Crane to name a few. He then went on to manage the England Elite Players Programme, England Saxons and ultimately Englands First Team. Stuart is now the senior coach at Leinster Rugby Club, Ireland and adored by the rugby faithful in Dublin.
Jamie Jones-Buchanan (born 1 August 1981) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays for Leeds of Super League. An England and Great Britain international representative second-rower, he has played his entire professional career to date with Leeds and has won six Super League championships, three World Club Challenges, three League Leaders Shields and one Challenge Cup Final with the club. Jamie is passionate about supporting his local community and is demonstrating this further by joining our board of ambassadors.
Josh Warrington is a British professional boxer from Leeds, England. He is the current WBC International champion, having held the title from April 2015 to present. He has previously held the European, British, and Commonwealth and English featherweight titles. Josh supports many local causes and is also an ambassador to Leeds Rhino’s Rugby and Leeds United Football Club.
Mike holds several Board level appointments, alongside his role as advisor at Drink Warehouse UK Ltd, an award-winning drinks wholesale business. He also co-founded a SAAS business in 2015, offering on-line sport education in the equestrian field. He is also co-founder of a company that promotes women in motorsport and advises two charities on financial matters. He recently sold another business he co-founded in 2016, offering business mentoring to tech start-ups, to the management team.
His passion is partnering with CEO’s, executives and entrepreneurs helping them understand the business numbers and providing practical advice on strategy execution and acquisitions. He has seen the drink wholesale business grow from £4.2m in 2015, when he became involved to £13.5m by the end of the current financial year in May 2019, a CAGR of 34%.
With many years in a diverse range of business sectors ranging from industrial chemicals to high end branded goods, he helps simplify the mystique around finance and helps entrepreneurs to manage their respective businesses more efficiently.
He qualified as an Accountant and holds an MBA in International Finance.
Jess recently graduated from Leeds Trinity University after studying for a degree in Sociology. While undertaking her studies, Jess spent some time volunteering within the criminal justice system and it was during her time with Tempus Novo that she felt that rehabilitation was the career for her. She has a passion for helping others and making a positive difference to lives.
I am excited to be working at Tempus Novo alongside completing my Law with Criminology degree after volunteering for the charity for a period of eight months. I truly believe that employment is a key factor in aiding the rehabilitation of people with offending backgrounds and have personally seen first hand the difference sustainable employment can make to improving a person’s quality of life.
Will joined Tempus Novo bringing with him a broad digital skill set and an enthusiasm to boost Tempus Novo’s digital presence. As a keen team-player, Will has a passion to make a difference and is excited to play an important part in the growth of Tempus Novo.
Claire Grindey Fine Art & Design Consultancy was founded by Claire Grindey with an excellent knowledge of the art market gained over 20 years as an independent consultant and with Sotheby’s. Claire is currently on the Board for RICS Art and Antiques, advising on art market issues. As an art consultant, Claire has advised on the acquisition of works of art, adhering to the RICS professional standards. She has researched and catalogued works of art and lectured for Sotheby’s Institute Contemporary Design MA. She has commissioned works of art and brings a unique understanding of the history of cultural diplomatic gifts through her knowledge of English silver, gained as a specialist at Sotheby’s. Claire has also worked in Sweden, France, Italy and the Netherlands. She has gained a good grasp of their respective languages and cultures. In 2015, she partnered with Syria Relief to launch an education and skills social enterprise, promoting cultural heritage and identity, and transferable making skills.
Professor Nick Hardwick CBE graduated with an English degree from the University of Hull in 1979. The first half of his career was in the voluntary sector, first working with young offenders in the community, then leading the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint before moving to run the British Refugee Council. In 2003 he was appointed to establish and run the Independent Police Complaints Commission as its first Executive Chair. He moved from police to prisons in 2010 when he was appointed as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons. Since his term as Chief Inspector ended in 2016, he has had a part-time role as Professor of Criminal Justice at Royal Holloway, University of London which he has combined with expert consultancy roles on prisons and the prevention of torture in ill-treatment in a variety of jurisdiction and from 2016 – to 2018 chairing the Parole Board for England and Wales. He is chair of New Horizon Youth Centre, Vice Chair of Prisoners Abroad and a trustee of the London Housing Foundation. He is a patron of Unlock and Zahid Mubarek Trust. He was awarded a CBE in 2010 and has honorary doctorates from the universities of Hull, Leeds-Beckett and Wolverhampton.
Dolly first met Val and Steve while working as a researcher at the Centre for Social Justice Think Tank in Westminster. Dolly is now completing her PhD on evidence-based policy at the University of Cambridge.
Dolly is also on the Board of the non-partisan political ideas festival, Big Tent Ideas Festival, and co-founded 50:50 Parliament’s #AskHerToStand campaign, which inspires, encourages and actively supports women from all parties to stand for Parliament. She is a strong advocate for Tempus Novo and focuses on engaging policymakers in their work.
Follow Dolly on Twitter @dollytheis
Roger Evans served as the Deputy Mayor of London, working closely with Mayor Boris Johnson until his retirement in May 2016. During his tenure Roger was responsible for building links to business, hosting major events in Trafalgar Square and deputising for the Mayor at meetings.
He chaired the London Assembly, London’s tier of regional government, as well as serving on the police, transport and budget committees. From 2008 to 2011 he led the eleven strong Conservative Group at City Hall.
First elected in 2000, Roger led detailed reviews of on line crime, technology in policing, flood risk and industrial relations on the transport network. He was also a member of London’s fire and police authorities. He served for twenty years as a Councillor and opposition Group Leader at the London Borough of Waltham Forest then at the London Borough of Havering.
Roger is a member of the Middle Temple, having been called to The Bar in November 1997. He now provides communication coaching for candidates, politicians and senior managers and he is a sought after presenter at conferences and other events. He has advised on democratic decentralisation projects in the Middle East, working with devolved authorities in Basra, Karak, Madaba and Jerash.
Danielle is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Lead for the BSc (Hons) Forensic Psychology Degree at Leeds Trinity University. Danielle holds a PhD in Forensic Psychology from the Institute for Psychological Sciences at the University of Leeds and is a Chartered Psychologist registered with the British Psychological Society. Recently, she has been selected as a member of the Youth Justice Board (YJB) Advisory panel, providing advice to the YJB and Ministry of Justice youth justice colleagues on evidence for developing policy and practice. Danielle is currently working as the Principal Investigator on a commissioned piece of research by Tempus Novo to produce an evaluation report and she has been appointed as a Research Fellow on a consultancy basis for University of Huddersfield, working with the international None in Three Research Centre. More recently, Danielle and her team won a bid with Unlocked Graduates to deliver an MSc in Applied Custodial Leadership. The proposed Masters is an integral part of the two-year Unlocked leadership programme and will be delivered in partnership with Unlocked Graduates; a pioneering charity which aims to improve the way in which public sector leaders are developed, as well being in the forefront of innovation within prisons. Participants on the Unlocked programme will work full-time as Prison Officers at prisons across the UK, as well as completing a funded, two-year, part-time Masters’ degree.
Prior to working in academia, Danielle spent seven years working in the Psychology Department of one of England’s busiest local prisons (HMP Leeds), housing male prisoners aged 21 and above. Danielle was appointed as the Treatment Manager for the Safer Custody Unit at HMP Leeds; a specialist unit for vulnerable prisoners at risk of self-harming and committing suicide. Danielle designed and delivered a psychosocial programme aimed at increasing skills in impulsive and emotional management, communication, and problem-solving skills. Danielle later went on to work with male juveniles at HMYOI Wetherby, and in particular, worked with young people who committed serious violent and sexual offences; conducting risk assessments and designing and delivering tailored interventions. In Danielle’s first year working for Her Majesty’s Prison Service, she won the Prison Service Staff of the Year Award, regionally and later nationally. She also received a certificate of commendation from the Butler Trust for outstanding contribution within the Prison Service.
Sara currently runs her own vegan fitness business online. She has worked for the Centre for Social Justice over the last few years and is involved with several charities across the UK, India and Africa. She is an active member within her local community and currently sits as the Chairman of the Ealing Safer Neighbourhood Board, which is responsible for overseeing the performance of the Metropolitan Police and allocating funding to local crime-fighting projects. Sara was a Conservative Party parliamentary candidate in the last general election in 2019 and twice in local elections before that. She is driven to use her profile to influence change within criminal justice and other causes close to her heart on a global scale.
Currently serving as a Co-founder / Chair , CXO board advisor and Non-Executive Director for companies such as Recognise Bank, Bain, and Fluttr – Louise has guided numerous complex organisations through creating their Global Digital IT transformation strategies. Louise is a renowned architect at board level for her strategic design of complex technology and digital transformational policies which enable multifaceted organisations to align their digital transformation plans with their commercial business objectives. Louise’s background in finance powers her deep ability to see the wider picture and inject commercial creativity into the process. Louise is a role model for women in tech across industries.
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