AWARD WINNER 2025-26: Tendai wins an Award as an outstanding Officer, and for his response to racism he has suffered on the seg, at HMP Leeds – staying on the unit, retaining his positivity and compassion for all, and using his experience, and the respect he engenders, to promote more inclusive attitudes across the jail.
[His Award is supported by Mitie Care & Custody.]

This nomination was drawn up by Tom McCruden – HOBA, HMP Leeds; and signed off by Rebecca Newby – Governor, HMP Leeds. It followed an initial recommendation from Head of Safety, Ben Miller.

Introduction

Tendai has been a dedicated segregation unit officer for over 2 years. Despite facing frequent and significant racial abuse, he continues to support and manage complex individuals with humanity and dignity, showing enormous resilience and belief in change. Keen to make a difference to perceptions and allyship from colleagues, he has led establishment-wide “Show Racism the Red Card” training, demonstrating his commitment to challenging racism and fostering understanding. He has trained over 229 staff over the last 18 months and feedback from his peers demonstrates it has made a difference including to removing barriers to promotion for BAME colleagues.

Reasons for the nomination

The real information about “Mr T”: he is a 6ft3 ex-mental health worker of Zimbabwean heritage. Despite his imposing size, he is a quiet and unassuming man, with a strong moral compass and an unwavering belief that he is in the right place to make a difference despite the personal challenges this exposes him to.

The official information: he has been a Prison Officer for 6 years at HMP Leeds. For the last 2 years he has been part of a small, dedicated Segregation Unit team, dealing with extremely complex prisoners, including those going through Mental Health Gatekeeping awaiting medium/high secure unit beds, those going through crisis in constant supervision/anti-ligature conditions, and those who have become violent or non-compliant on units requiring a period of stabilisation and consistency in segregated conditions. Many of these prisoners begin their time in segregation by lashing out physically and verbally at the staff.

As the only black officer in the unit, Tendai experiences prisoners lashing out with racist abuse. He has said that if he placed everyone on report who used racist language towards him, he would constantly be filling in paperwork. Imagine coming to work to deal with that? His ability to manage complex individuals in challenging circumstances requires tremendous resilience as well as a personal purpose. We have talked to Tendai about moving to other departments in the prison, but his view is “if not me, who?”. Tendai’s commitment to his role is evident in his dedication to supporting and rehabilitating prisoners, ensuring they are treated with care and compassion despite the way they initially treat him. Prisoners will often amend their ways towards him when they do not get a rise out of him and see that he consistently treats them with dignity.

He has turned his experiences in life, the segregation unit and the wider prison into a personal mission to inform, educate and challenge racism through being trained as one of only two Show Racism the Red Card trainers in Leeds. Due to maternity leave, he is now the only trainer but continues to hold sessions to share his personal experiences, which resonate deeply with those he trains. His ability to relate to others adds an emotional dimension to his training sessions, making the discussions more impactful. Tendai’s approach encourages reflection and understanding.

Tendai’s personal qualities make him a stand-out officer in our large prison. He possesses a remarkable ability to forgive and support others while challenging them in appropriate ways. This balance allows him to address difficult issues without fostering resentment. His positive influence extends beyond the segregation unit, as he encourages his colleagues to strive for improvement in their professional and personal lives.

Despite the challenges he faces, including constant racial abuse, Tendai remains a beacon of positivity. He leads discussions on racism and encourages his colleagues to engage in meaningful conversations, promoting allyship.

Tendai’s infectious smile, despite what he might be experiencing, his unwavering dedication and his positive influence make him a deserving candidate for recognition.

Support for the nomination

“Mr T is a good officer he has known me for a long while he is just a different sort, he gives you his time regardless. Mr T respond to an incident when I strung up and he gave me the time, He cut me down then sat with me for over 45 minutes to discuss my issues. No matter what is going on how many times I have messed him around abused him or given him the run around Mr T has always had time for me. Like I say he is just a different sort isn’t he”.
Prisoner in the segregation unit

“Tendai makes all of those around him better. He takes everything in his stride and is looking to better himself at any opportunity. He has also taken the lead in being a mentor to a recent influx of new staff to the segregation unit. Tendai goes above and beyond for no personal benefit, purely a passion to make himself and those around him better. We could not be prouder to have him on our team!”
Tendai’s Supervising Officer on the segregation unit

“I was delighted when I was asked to nominate and talk about Tendai Mutambirwa AKA Mr T, I write the following in recognition of his inspiring dedication, his kindness and resilience.

Despite our age difference and the diverse life experiences between us, Mr T has been a true source of inspiration to me personally. It is no secret that starting a job in a Prison is a very daunting period. This was made easier when I was met by Mr T who had a way of making me feel completely at ease in what can be a very intense environment. A friendship was quickly formed due to his formidable sense of humour.

I consider myself very lucky that when I moved to the Segregation Unit to work, Mr T moved with me. Although working in a segregation unit can often be rewarding, it can also present significant challenges at times. Unfortunately, Mr. T faced racism from some of the prisoners. Despite the understandable impact this had on him, he consistently showed remarkable resilience by continuing to come to work and engage professionally with those very individuals. He consistently put aside his own feelings to maintain his commitment, demonstrating exceptional strength and professionalism in the face of adversity.

Moreover, he actively contributes to fostering a better workplace environment by training others on issues of racism. His approach is constructive and educational, helping colleagues gain a deeper understanding and promoting inclusivity.

I consider Mr. T a friend for life who has consistently shown kindness and support throughout my career. His guidance and encouragement have had a profound and positive impact on my development, and I continue to carry many of his life lessons with me.”
Officer Katie Webster, HMP Leeds

Sign off

This nomination is one I feel in my heart the most. Tendai thanked me recently for giving him the space to grow; for allowing him to flourish. I couldn’t impress upon him enough how it has been the other way round. As Governor I can have a commitment to culture change, but without Tendai’s leadership, resilience and willingness to share raw lived-experience, I couldn’t have made the impact he has achieved in the last 18 months. He is authentic in what he does, it comes from his heart. He has helped me learn and grow. I admire him so much.

Rebecca Newby, Governor, HMP Leeds