On Wednesday 11th October Helen & Douglas House will be locking up nine ‘guilty’ (for entirely fictitious crimes, of course) local businessmen and women who are members of Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce or people connected through them, in Oxford Castle and Prison as part of the charity’s Jail & Bail corporate fundraiser.
The nine prisoners will be arrested and charged with their ‘terrible crimes’ and will be banished to the cells of Oxford Castle and Prison, only to be released if they can raise £999 in bail money.
The nine ‘guilty’ supporters and Thames Valley businessmen and women taking part include:
| Name | Company | Position |
| Paul Britton | Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group | CEO |
| Tom Bowtell | BCF (British Coatings Federation) | CEO |
| Sarah J Stevens | SYLO Beyond HR | Managing Director |
| Joanna DeBiase | IBB Law | Managing Partner |
| Laura Mortimer | B P Collins | Partner (Family Law) |
| Harry Hamilton Jennings | VWV | Lawyer (Life Sciences) |
| Laurence Jennings | Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service | Firefighter |
| Josh Houlihan | Airdri | Business Development Executive |
| Neil Brookes | Activate Learning | Group Executive Director |
The prisoners will be picked up in the morning in a police van from Milton Hill House Hotel in Abingdon, escorted to Oxford Castle and Prison by Thames Valley Police. The judge will accuse them of their crimes and they will be banished to their cell. They will be locked up for the day with their only means of communicating being a phone and laptop. In order to get themselves released from prison, they have to reach their bail money of £999 each.
To raise the money for bail, the nine prisoners will need to be very resourceful, using their contacts to help and asking local businesses to fundraise on their behalf; every penny really counts.
There crimes range from reckless droning on about contracts without advising about the risk of drowsiness to wanton and furious cycling in conjunction with gratuitous wearing of lycra.
Prisoner Paul Britton, CEO of Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group said:
‘Everyone at the Chamber is struck by the remarkable work of Helen & Douglas House, our chosen charity for 2023. So I was delighted to be invited to take part in the Jail and Bail to raise what I hope will be a huge amount of money for an incredible cause’.
Fellow Prisoner Sarah J Stevens, SYLO Beyond HR said:
‘My crime? Without exception, eating the last biscuit in the packet and not replacing them!! In my defence, I do share them. I didn't have much choice in getting involved in the jail and bail event, I was 'volunteered', however, I am honoured to raise money for this worthy charity, and as a mum I hope my small contribution can assist another family when they need it most.’
Ros Bowen from Helen & Douglas House said ‘I would like to thank all these wonderful members of Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce and their networks who have agreed to take part in our Jail & Bail fundraiser and the Milton Hill House Hotel for their lovely breakfast. I would also like to thank Oxford Castle and Prison for allowing our ‘inmates’ to be resident there for the day. Thank you to the Thames Valley Police for coming along to help make this fundraiser as realistic as possible by ‘arresting’ our participants and transporting them to Oxford Castle and Prison. The money that each ‘inmate’ raises will help local terminally ill children and their families make the most of the time they have together. This would not be possible without amazing supporters like these wonderful local businessmen and women taking part in this fundraiser.’
If you would like to help the ‘guilty’ supporters raise money for Helen & Douglas House, you can donate to one of their Just Giving page Helen & Douglas House Jail and Bail 2023 - JustGiving. If you are a local businessman or women who is interested in getting involved in future Jail & Bail fundraisers for Helen & Douglas House, contact [email protected].
