AWARD WINNER 2025-26: Andy, a PE SO at HMP Huntercombe, gets an Award for his “towering achievement” in developing a course, based on Stoic philosophy, that he has delivered to over 1,000 prisoners, has been shown to significantly reduce violence and improve wellbeing, and is now being rolled out more widely.
[He also receives the Keith Bromley Award for Education & Skills Training.]

This nomination was written and signed-off by David Redhouse – Governor, HMP Huntercombe.

Introduction

Andy’s nomination is for his creation of a course based in Stoic philosophy which, starting in 2017 he has led his team of PE Instructors to deliver to over 1,000 prisoners in HMP Huntercombe alone. Independent evaluation of the course has found benefits in reducing aggression and increasing well-being. Andy has additionally supported the course being rolled out to a range of other prisons in the UK and elsewhere while also securing positive coverage of prisons via a partnership with the Aurelius Foundation.

Reasons for the nomination

Andy Small’s work in developing a 16-session course on Stoicism and then, since 2017, delivering it to 1,000 men at HMP Huntercombe is special in myriad ways:

• It was entirely his own initiative – he read about a programme in US prisons and emailed the psychiatrist who ran it directly
• Independent evaluation confirmed reduced aggression and increased well-being;
• The scale at which it operates – reaching 1,000 men in little more than five years (given the pandemic’s impact on regimes) – is unprecedented
• A version for staff not only ensures they can encourage prisoners to engage with Stoic principles but also helps them personally in their own lives
• Andy has spread the course widely in HMPPS from Winchester to Garth and Bristol to Isis
• Andy has engaged a third sector partner, the Aurelius Foundation to support the course by paying for materials
• Andy regularly speaks publicly about the course securing valuable positive coverage of HMPPS

Andy’s own enthusiasm, drive and focus have put the legs on the Stoicism project. But what underpins it all is his utter conviction that prison time should be useful time and that the Gym is an opportunity like no other to hook men into serious consideration of what they are doing with their lives.

He is therefore relentless in making sure the course runs; he lobbied successfully for two extra portacabin classrooms as well as for an extra PEI post so that delivery of the course would not take away from the running of the Gym and the training and courses which are provided there. He also secured permission from the Press Office to make a film of the training which could be publicly available via the Aurelius Foundation website.

Two particular examples illustrate what is special about Andy’s Stoicism initiative:

1. Jay by his own admission was a very difficult prisoner who wanted nothing to do with staff (except perhaps to assault them) and simply carry on his extremely profitable drug-dealing business. However compelled to attend Stoic training, one question posed there by Andy “What is your purpose in life ?” cut through to him and eventually prompted a complete turnaround in his life first in prison and then on release in the community where he became an award winning community worker with Charlton Athletic Football Club before then launching his own charity focused focused on mentoring young men away from the path he himself originally followed into county lines drug dealing https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=305888430821140

2. Boris Becker was one of the highest profile prisoners in the system and prompting a great deal of negative media coverage. On transfer to Huntercombe Andy identified Boris could both benefit personally from Stoicism and also operate as a very effective orderly for the course given the trajectory of his career and the lessons he had been forced to learn. Boris’ time in prison thus became very useful as he himself acknowledged publicly in broadcast interviews on his release.

Support for the nomination

• “This has changed my life.” Tomac
• “I wish I’d learned this at school—I wouldn’t have ended up here.” Jumoke
• “My relationship with my missus is better now because I actually listen to her.” Max
• “My wife has started a community Stoic group at her café for women in our community.” Frank
• “The skills I have leant have helped me get the most out of prison sentence.” Asif
• “The Stoic course showed me where I have gone wrong and how to fix it.” Damien
• “Prison time gave me a second chance…. The Stoic manual became my prison bible” – Boris
• “I only did the course to get time off Basic regime, but it changed my life” Jay
• “What I have leant has prepared me for the difficulties of life outside” Jordache
• “I now see hard times as practice opportunities” Bruno
• “When I was working outside on RoTL all the things we spoke about in the Stoic classes became true, it was amazing, I couldn’t believe it!” Mario

“Grzegorz is our orderly and has been on the Stoic course for the past three or so weeks. He told me how happy he is that he is attending the course and how useful it has been for him. For our part at DART, when he came to clean for us one morning this week, he presented as much calmer and appeared to feel more relaxed than previously. Everyone who does the course enjoys it.”
Doria Walton, Drug Recovery Worker, HMP Huntercombe

“Andy continues to be a credit to HMP Huntercombe. His visit was warmly received by our PE department who fed back how positive, knowledgeable and self-motivated he is. The work that he has done around stoic philosophy was of particular personal interest and has the potential to be of real benefit to the Long term estate.”
Grant Anderson, Head of Reducing Reoffending, HMP Isle of Wight

“I am also still very much interested in working out the best way to roll out this approach into my other prisons – I remain convinced that it will make a huge, positive difference.”
Chris Jennings, HMPPS Area Executive Director South West, South Central & Public Protection

“Andy is an excellent and knowledgeable presenter and I admire the work he has done on this.”
Ross Gribbin MoJ Director General Policy – Prisons, Offenders and Analysis

“The research findings indicated that wellbeing increased, and aggression reduced following engagement with the programme.”
Martin Fisher, Lead Psychologist South Central Prisons Groups

“The course is well received by prisoners, who then encourage other prisoners to attend the course.”
Ian Sargent, Head of Prison and Probation Service, Falkland Islands Government

“These are incredible accomplishments for the greater good, for society and ultimately British Taxpayers. Aurelius Foundation is so proud to support Andy.”
Justin Stead, Founder Aurelius Foundation & Former CEO Radley London

Sign off

Andy Small is anything but; his Stoicism course is a towering achievement which has captured interest across MoJ, HMPPS and beyond. He has provided much-needed public proof of the potential for prison time to be positive. But most of all he has changed 1,000 lives and counting…

David Redhouse, Governor, HMP Huntercombe