COMMENDEE 2025-26: Paula is Commended for her contribution to the wellbeing of residents at Woodlands JJC – going well beyond her role as an Administrative Officer, in a voluntary capacity, to qualify as a Personal Trainer, and deliver a popular, and highly effective, health and fitness programme for the children.

This nomination was drawn up by Jill Brown – Assistant Director, Woodlands, JJC; and signed off by Mary Aughey – Director, Woodlands JJC.

Introduction

Paula Craig is being nominated for her outstanding work with young people in Woodlands, JJC, in her voluntary role as Personal Trainer, over the last three years. Her commitment, dedication, and enthusiasm have made a significant difference in the lives of these vulnerable young people, particularly through the fitness programme she has developed and delivered. Paula’s work with young people in relation to fitness is over and above her primary role in Woodlands, which is within the Administration Office.

Reasons for the nomination

Paula has demonstrated exceptional professionalism and organisation in her role at Woodlands. Although primarily employed in the Administration team, her passion for fitness led her to volunteer and create a fitness programme for young people. With management support, she developed a programme that includes free weights and cardio exercises, aiming to enhance the physical fitness, mental health and overall attitudes of young people towards fitness and healthy living.

Her meticulous research and the creation of informative booklets, set out in a child friendly format, have provided young people with valuable resources. Additionally, in her own time Paula pursued accreditation in personal training to ensure she offers the best possible guidance and support.

Paula’s personal qualities further enhance her impact. She is approachable and has a natural ability to build positive relationships with young people. Her caring and compassionate nature encourages them to engage in the programme willingly. Paula maintains professionalism and integrity, setting boundaries at the outset and challenging young people when their behaviour does not align with the mutually agreed standards set out in the ‘contract’ at the beginning of the programme. Her sense of fun and use of humour motivate young people, helping them celebrate even the smallest achievements.

The impact of Paula’s fitness programme has been profound. Young people who previously overlooked the consequences of poor lifestyle choices have developed a new understanding of their health. They have begun to request healthier meal options and have shown increased interest in fitness. Paula has educated them about the body and the importance of a balanced fitness regime, tailoring individual programmes to meet their specific needs. Paula has worked with some young people who struggled with their body image, low confidence resulting from peer pressure, social media representations of the body and what that should be. Paula listened to those young people and sensitively encouraged them to at least give the fitness programme a go. With Paula’s support, most of these young people thrived and embraced the programme, achieving the personal goals they set out at the beginning of their journey with Paula.

Despite challenges, including balancing her personal commitments, ensuring her work in her substantive role in Admin is not negatively impacted and overcoming scepticism from colleagues, Paula has succeeded in engaging even the most reluctant young people. One notable example is her work with a young person who initially resisted participation. Through one-on-one conversations, Paula reassured this young person and helped them set and achieve personal goals, resulting in a remarkable boost in their self-esteem, confidence and overall behaviour.

Paula’s dedication and impact on the young people at Woodlands make her a deserving candidate for this nomination. Her drive for excellence and the development young people’s social and physical wellbeing, make her highly deserving of this prestigious recognition. I have no doubt that Paula will continue to excel and contribute to the success of Woodlands for many years to come.

Support for the nomination

“Since Paula joined the administration team at Woodlands the positive impact has been clearly evident. Her personality and work ethic has shone through and has made a real difference directly with work colleagues and ultimately the young people who reside in Woodlands JJC. She is self-motivated and her can-do attitude is both refreshing and solution focused, she has always stepped in and up to do her part. Her enthusiasm to be involved has also directly assisted young people in Woodlands with the development of a new Personal Training Programme, whereby Paula trained to become a qualified fitness instructor before establishing an individualised training programme for young people. She quickly slotted into the overall ethos of the Youth Justice Agency and Woodlands in regards to her trauma informed approach in all aspects of her work and her delivery of the fitness programme clearly has a ‘child first’ approach, by seeking to support young people to develop their skills and recognise their individual potential.”
G. McAlister, Deputy Director, Woodlands

“I wholeheartedly believe that Paula deserves recognition by the Butler Trust due to her exceptional skills, dedication and contribution in the development of her bespoke Personal Training programme for young people in Woodlands.
Paula consistently demonstrates an unwavering commitment to all young people and has developed a service that not only helps them improve their general health and fitness, but also focus on other areas of lifestyle including, nutrition, hydration and working on eliminating harmful bad habits.
I have had the pleasure of witnessing Paula’s exceptional interpersonal skills several times. It is these skills which have allowed her to foster strong relationships with the young people and allow her to push for, and achieve, high standards of commitment and performance from young people.
Young people, regardless of having completed a short 1-2 session programme, or a more protracted 6-8month programme have reported back that their participation was a highlight of their time whilst in custody. [‘Personal Training is the best place to get out of unit and get your head showered. Paula listens and changes up the programme, if I say I need something different that night’ – BL, Young Person]. Young people have actively campaigned in Youth Forum for more sessions with Paula, as well as frequently reporting it as one of the top 5 activities that Woodlands offers – a fitting testimony to the success of the programme and Paula as an individual.
Apart from Paula’s professional achievements, she also consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to personal growth and development. She actively seeks opportunities to learn and improve her skills and stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices. Paula’s dedication to personal growth has not only benefited her but has also positively influenced the wider care and programmes team within Woodlands.
Paula possesses the exceptional qualities that make her an outstanding candidate for this award.”
Nicky Russell, Line Manager

Sign off

I fully support this nomination and concur that Paula has added a real value to our work in Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre.
It is great to see someone from the administration team immersing themselves in the well being of our young people.
Paula has made a real difference in introducing a structured, professional well being/fitness programme for vulnerable and often hard to engage young people based on her outside interest/qualifications in Personal Training. The fact that she does so on a volunteer basis is of particular note.

Mary Aughey, Director, Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre