It was good because it allowed us to get some of the inmates involved. We selected two convicted prisoners who went down to make the presentation on the Asgard II. The whole prison felt part of that Tall Ships visit. Jim Robertson, our industries manager, made the presentation, which was fitting as he did a lot of sterling work throughout his years at the prison.
The Asgard II did manage one more visit to Aberdeen in the Cutty Sark Tall Ships race when it returned in 1997. I am sure the fenders would have been put to good use until the Asgard finally sank off the Bay of Biscay in 2008.
THE SALVATION ARMY BAND
We managed to persuade the Salvation Army to play a concert for an older lady called Annie Smith. An officer, Douglas Falconer, whose wife’s mum had been in Kingseat Hospital was to be celebrating her eighty-third birthday there. So Douglas approached us and asked if there was anything we could do to help his mother-in-law to celebrate. He also said she was a big fan of the Salvation Army and their musical bands.
That made things slightly easier, as Leslie McBain and Norrie Page, who were both in the Salvation Army, worked with us at the prison. I went and asked them if this request would be possible and they said they would check it out at the Aberdeen Citadel, their city headquarters, and they came back and told us it wouldn’t be a problem.
They got a large number of members from their band out and played a small concert for Annie and the rest of the patients on the hospital’s Stuart Ward for more than an hour. She couldn’t believe it. I think it’s fair to say that was a birthday Annie and her family were never going to forget.
Her daughter, Moira Falconer, speaking at the time, said: ‘She really enjoys singing hymns and we thought it would be really nice if she could hear some played. She loved it and you could see the other patients really appreciated it to. I am very grateful to the Salvation Army, the nursing staff and Craiginches Prison for putting in all the effort to make it happen.’
DICTAPHONES TO HELP THE LESS ABLE
The Craiginches Community Links was approached by dozens and dozens of different groups and charities looking for support. There were some big projects but there were also some smaller but just as important ones we assisted along the way.
We were able to go straight to the funds and to write out a cheque. One of those was when we donated money to a local group who helped support disabled young adults to buy four Dictaphone recording devices: the same recorders that journalists and newspaper reporters are seen using. That sort of donation didn’t break the bank but even buying those four machines made a big difference to a lot of people.
This donation came about through a lady called Alison Tavendale. She actually worked on a voluntary basis in the prison with some of the inmates who maybe struggled mentally or physically with prison life. She did a really good job.
Alison also helped out with this group. If memory serves me correctly she was writer in residence.
The Dictaphones allowed the young adults to record their stories and work, which would then help the volunteers to put their poetry, literature or even their own biographies down on paper at a later date.
It was an important project because without such support it wouldn’t have been possible for the young adults involved to carry out the work that obviously meant so much to them.
CONGO
There were often some smaller individual projects that some of the committee members would agree to take on themselves. Allan Grant was approached to help with the Grampian Seafood Fayre, which was held in Aberdeen. It was an event where companies and caterers came together to showcase the great food on offer in and around the waters of the North-east. It was a big thing and used to be held at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
I am not sure if Allan was much of a fisherman but the organisers of the Grampian Seafood Fayre were looking to really spread the word ahead of their big launch. So they organised several high-profile events to raise awareness in and around the city.
They wanted to kick off the fayre with a giant parade through the centre of Aberdeen. That was where the approach to Alan came in. They asked if the prisoners could help make a giant eel which would provide the focal point of the 200-strong parade.
The prisoners were no strangers to showing off their creative talents by that point. They produced a giant eel’s head that the organisers and volunteers were delighted with. It proved to be a real show-starter.
WE COULDN’T ALWAYS HELP
We used to get a lot of requests in to the committee. There were always conditions attached if we were to do a job. One or two of the committee would always go up and assess a job or an application. We wanted to help as many people as we could, which was why we set up the committee in the first place, but it was impossible to meet everyone’s demands. The applications were just never ending. We always tried to pick the one that needed the most help. We felt that was the best and easiest way.
Award Winners
32
The Butler Trust
The Butler Trust is probably not that well known outside of the prison service but for those in that particular profession it is one of the highest accolades you can achieve.
The award was named after former home secretary Richard Austen Butler to celebrate outstanding dedication, skill and creativity by people working in correctional settings across the United Kingdom. Mr Butler was pivotal in a series of reforms in the late 1950s to improve the management, care and rehabilitation of offenders (as set out in his 1959 White Paper ‘Penal Practice in a Changing Society’) and understood the important role played by those who were in daily contact with such offenders.
Mr Butler went on to hold the role of deputy Prime Minister and after leaving office then wrote the 1975 Butler Report, which led to significant improvements in the management and care of offenders with a mental illness.
He was later rewarded for his work when he was named Lord Butler of Saffron Walden and was able to take his well-deserved seat in the House of Lords.
The Butler Trust was set up in his name in 1985 as a lasting tribute to the work he did in our particular sector. Her Royal Highness Princess Anne agreed to become the patron from the very beginning. The three main people who helped to set up the trust were Veronica Linklater, who is now Baroness Linklater of Butterstone; Reverend Peter Timms OBE, who was a former prison governor; and David Astor, who was a former editor of the Observer newspaper.
The idea was to recognise and celebrate outstanding practice by those working with offenders through an annual award scheme. You were nominated for the award and then the committee considered each individual application.
I was put forward by the Craiginches governor at the time, Bill Rattray. He didn’t tell me but I unofficially got a copy of his application letter. His opening was: ‘I wish to nominate Bryan Glennie for the Butler Trust Award. I consider him to be an outstanding example of an officer who shows enthusiasm for his work and he is prepared to inconvenience himself so that others less fortunate may benefit.’ He also went on to catalogue the reasons for my nomination. He listed my Control and Restraint Instructor training, how I had become a First Aid instructor, a Physical Training instructor, all the entertainment nights at Craiginches we had helped to organise and the outside projects with the prisoners. If I remember correctly he also included the prison visits and the boxing tournaments as part of my application.
I hadn’t even been told my name had been put forward until I received a letter from the Butler Trust to invite me down to London for an interview as part of the process. Sir Trevor Brooking was one of the judging panel that particular year, along with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, as chairman. There was also a lady there as well, apologies, I can’t remember her name but she had been sold on the work we did at Burn O’Vat. She was impressed with the job we had done but I think she was also influenced by the fact she had a holiday home of her own nearby at Ballater. She had been to Burn O’Vat several times and she was able to vouch, first hand, of
the work we had done.
My interview went well and I headed back to Scotland after it. I knew I had done all I could and sold the work we had done at HMP Aberdeen to the best of my ability. That proved to be the case, as I got word that I had been successful, which was a very humbling moment. I really couldn’t believe it and it took a bit of time to sink in.
The letter read:
Dear Mr Glennie,
First of all, I am delighted to be able to add my congratulations to those of our Chairman (Sir Richard Butler) on your award.
Your award will be publicly presented to you in the form of a certificate by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal at Lambeth Palace on Monday, March 12.
Now on to practical details. When replying to the invitation, could you please confirm your name and grade are correct at the head of this letter and also let us know the name of your companion, as we have to prepare a complete guest list for security purposes.
Can you please be at Lambeth Palace at 11.30 a.m. so that we can have a quick briefing and run through the procedure in the guard room?
As far as dress is concerned, if you normally wear uniform, this would be those who don’t normally work in uniform, dark suits are probably best for the men and day dresses or suits for women. The Princess Royal has not worn a hat at previous award ceremonies but obviously this is a matter of individual taste.
After the presentation you and your guest will have the opportunity to meet the Princess informally and there will be a buffet lunch. It is a very happy occasion and I’m sure you will enjoy being such an important part of it. The Princess will leave about 2 p.m. and the rest of the guests shortly afterwards.
As an award winner, your travel expenses are borne by the Scottish Prison Department while the Butler Trust will pay your guest’s expenses. Limited parking is also available within the Palace forecourt on request.
We very much look forward to hearing back from you and seeing you on the day.
Finally, we would also like to confirm that a copy of a letter of commendation from the Trust will be placed on your personal files.
Yours sincerely
Anna Humphrey
(Administrator with Butler Trust Award)
I went down to pick up my Butler Trust Award at Lambeth Palace, London, at noon on Monday 12th March 1990.
My wife and I arrived at the Guard Room, where we were introduced and given some last-minute reminders as to what to do and to expect. We were then taken through the main room, where we were given our programme of events and shown to our seats.
I opened up the programme and I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. My name was the first one on the list. My name was there along with officers from all over the United Kingdom, from the Isle of Wight to Northern Ireland. It read:
Bryan Glennie, officer – HMP Aberdeen.
In addition to his work as a discipline officer, Mr Glennie has demonstrated unparalleled initiative and enthusiasm in every area of the life of the institution, constantly wishing to increase his own life skills and use them for the benefit of others. He is a first aid instructor, a qualified Physical Training instructor, one of five Scottish national Control and Restraint instructors, a gardens and education officer and has also been known to relieve catering staff. In his spare time, he has arranged a wide variety of entertainments with the establishment and also actively seeks out diverse projects for inmates within the community.
I have to say I was really, really humbled to see my name on the list – at all. Then to see everything on that list was actually quite embarrassing. I didn’t do anything for self gain. Everything was done to try and help others or for the benefit of HM Prison Aberdeen or the Scottish Prison Service itself.
The chairman opened the ceremony and gave his introduction then he invited HRH Princess Royal forward to make her speech before she went on to present the awards. There was then a review of the Butler Trust Annual Report, a vote of thanks from trustee Sir Edward Ford before the ceremony was closed and we made our way to the Pink Drawing Room, where we met the Princess Royal and lunch was served.
After I got back to Aberdeen I also got a lovely letter from the Scottish Prison Officers’ Association commending me on my Butler Award. It read:
Dear Bryan,
The Executive Committee of the Scottish Prison Officers’ Association have asked me to extend on their behalf their warmest congratulations in regard to your recent achievement in the Butler Award Scheme.
It is awards such as this; to hard working, dedicated officers that the national press should be vigorously reporting rather than some of their more dubious stories.
Again, congratulations and all the best for the future.
Yours sincerely
Derek Turner
(Deputy General Secretary of the Scottish Prison Officers’ Association)
33
The Royal Rowies
A rowie for those not acquainted with the north-east of Scotland is a savoury bread roll. It is also known as an Aberdeen roll, or in Aberdeenshire it is more commonly known as a buttery. Its main ingredients are flour, lard, butter or vegetable oil and yeast. It may not sound like the healthiest of eats but it has been a staple part of breakfasts in the North-east for well over a century.
It was first baked as an alternative to more traditional breads. The fishing community of the North-east was to be the main benefactor. They needed a bread or roll that had a longer shelf life and something that would last the rigours of two or three weeks at sea. The rowie proved to be the perfect solution as well as offering a tasty snack. Its high fat content also provided an immediate source of energy for some of our more hardened seafarers.
I knew the rowie was a favourite in the north-east of Scotland but I didn’t know it was so famous further afield. In fact it, unofficially, has the royal seal of approval. I can vouch for that. I met Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, as you know, at the Butler Trust awards. She is a big supporter of our British prisons and has been its patron for more than thirty years. During that time, she has made more than 170 prison visits, including one to HMP Aberdeen, but we will go into that later.
I remember the morning of the presentation I had a real nervous excitement. Once I had got all the formalities out of the way – the royal protocol and greetings – I thought I was good to go. My name was called and, as instructed, I made my way up to the stage.
I was thinking, now Bryan, don’t mess this up. I walked on to the stage and the Princess Royal then congratulated me on winning the award and presented me with my Butler Trust Award.
There was a buffet lunch after the ceremony and I met up with Princess Anne and had a chat with her. In the conversation it was mentioned that being from Aberdeen I would know about Aitken’s rowies. I did tell her that Mrs Aitken was a big supporter of our work at HMP Aberdeen.
Princess Anne has been a big supporter of the British Prison Service and she knows her stuff. We got speaking and she asked me about our work at HMP Aberdeen. I told her about our work at Burn O’Vat. The Royals, of course, are no strangers to the North-east. They spend a lot of time at their royal residence of Balmoral Castle. I have to say, to her credit, she was more than aware of all the work we had done at Burn O’Vat. What intrigued her most of all was the work of the prisoners and how we were able to get them back out in the community. She asked if we had any problems on that front and I explained to her that the prisoners are told in advance that we have to have their trust and it works both ways.
When I went back into Aberdeen I popped in to see Mrs Aitken. We got on really well together and, as I said before, Aitken’s Bakery had been a big help in supplying food for the different coffee mornings and fund-raisers we held at the prison. When I told Mrs Aitken the story she couldn’t believe it. She told me that if I was ever going to meet Princess Anne again then to give her a shout and she would make sure I would have rowies for her.
Not too long after my Butler Trust Award I was invited down to a reception at Bute Hous
e in Edinburgh with Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, the Scottish minister. I had half an inclination that Princess Anne might be in attendance when I read the invitation. So I told this to Mrs Aitken and she said: ‘No problem, I will get the rowies sorted out for you.’ I went down to the shop and sure enough she gave me a big box of rowies that was decorated with ribbons and bows. I took them down to Edinburgh with me, guarding them with my life, making sure they were still in the same pristine condition as when Mrs Aitken had handed them to me.
When I went into Bute House, I was greeted by Lord James Douglas-Hamilton. I walked in with this big box and I had to tell him that, unfortunately, it wasn’t a present for him. I explained that it was for Princess Anne and so one of her staff took it off me and put them in the kitchen for her.
When Princess Anne came in we all automatically stood up to be introduced to her and when it came to my turn I said: ‘We meet again and I have remembered about Aitken’s rowies. They are in the kitchen. But before that I want to talk to you about something else. I wondered if you could maybe assist HMP Aberdeen as we prepare to celebrate our centenary next year?’ She then pointed me in the direction of one of her aides, who was next to Veronica Linklater of the Butler Trust awards. She came forward and we sat down and I explained we were going to celebrate Aberdeen Prison being one hundred the following year. We were organising a big event to celebrate it in a big way and wondered if the Princess would be available to visit Craiginches to make it an even more special event. We had a long chat, I gave her all the details and she informed me that we would have to put in a formal letter of request with all the details and then they would get back to us.
Craiginches Page 14
