Lal knows from her own experience the importance of group and one-to-one support.  She has first-hand experience of some of the difficulties of those who are supported by the charity. 

Lal has previously worked as a psychotherapist in the NHS and has a Masters in the field, as well as working with vulnerable children and adolescents in various settings. Alongside her work with Bridging the Gap Mentoring, Lal volunteers as a peer mentor in other charitable organisations.  

She believes those who are struggling with mental health, addiction and/or adjusting to life after prison need support to guide them towards the future they want, and is determined to use her voice and experience to advocate on their behalf.

Heidi is a community Social Worker working with older people, specifically in the field of dementia care but also has a experience of working with mentally disordered offenders in a forensic setting. She volunteers for local homeless charities, cooking meals at a drop in and staffing a winter bed project. She is a keen supporter of refugees rights and is a host and home visitor for Refugees at Home charity. Recently she has made trips to Calais to distribute items to people there and is working to raise awareness of this humanitarian crisis.

BA (Hons) Criminology

Jasmine has worked in homelessness services for several years and is currently the Volunteer Coordinator at a centre for people experiencing homelessness. Prior to this Jasmine worked in a hostel, for a Housing First project and in child protection. Alongside her paid role Jasmine volunteers for a few charities including The Hygiene Bank and is studying to be a Psychotherapist. Jasmine enjoys reading, walking, cooking and spending time with her cat in her spare time.

BA Hons Engineering; MSc Development Studies

Robin has set up and run development projects in Africa. Returning to England, he managed services for people with drink problems and worked on national drug and alcohol policy. He worked as Drug and Alcohol Development manager with London Probation for 10 years establishing new drug treatment programmes until he took voluntary redundancy in 2011.

MA (Oxon); MSc; DIC; DMS; CEng; MICE

Having worked in the private and public sectors as a qualified Civil Engineer and after eleven years as a father-at-home, Mick has spent the past 17 years in not-for-profit organisations in London working with homelessness, community centre management and refugees and asylum seekers. This included overseeing a Home Office gold star exemplar mentoring project, culminating with five years as CEO of Stepping Stones Trust, working to promote the rehabilitation of ex-offenders through supported accommodation.

Greg is a freelance criminal defence lawyer and Crown Court Advocate.  He specialises in civil liberties and protest cases. He was an Islington Councillor from 2006 until May 2014. He has been mentoring ex-offenders for fifteen years. One of his mentoring projects was the subject of an acclaimed BBC2 fly-on-the-wall documentary called “Make me honest”.

Niki is a Lecturer in Criminology. Her research focusses on the intersection between gender, drugs and incarceration. She has a particular interest in harm reduction and trauma-informed approaches to criminal justice policy and practice. Prior to starting her PhD, Niki has worked in diverse advocacy and leadership roles. She has experience supporting women in prison, children from marginalised communities and people with disabilities.