Our Story

“I studied LLB Law at Teesside University. This is the place I consider to have grown and flourished. I then went on to complete an LLM in International Law at Leeds University followed by being called to the Bar of England and Wales through City Law School and Middle Temple. During this time, I was the first Black female president the 400-year-old inn had called. Throughout this time, I was immersed in a new world. A year after completing the Bar, tragedy struck my family, and I gave up my legal pursuit to go home to Huddersfield to be with my family.

Before I could blink, a year had passed, and I decided that pursuing something in the criminal justice field might suit my attributes better. It was then I applied to become an unpaid work supervisor for Thames Valley Probation. During this time, I progressed to become a Probation Service Officer at HMP Woodhill. Whilst at HMP Woodhill I was engrossed and subjected to a type of new world order. A self-governing entity through external support. It is only fair to say that whilst here I made some lifelong friends and witnessed first-hand the trials and tribulations of running a prison and being incarcerated.

I created my charity, Jo’s Hope, because I believe in giving others hope. It has always been an ambition of mine to do something that helps and changes the lives of others, and when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I decided to pursue my ambitions.”