Our Radio 4 Charity Appeal

Thank you for your support!

A huge thank you to everyone who listened in, shared or donated to our Radio 4 Appeal presented by Koestler Arts trustee and artist Gary Mansfield this April.

We are delighted to share that thanks to our supporters and Radio 4 listeners, we have managed to raise over £10,000 in donations towards our Arts Mentoring scheme, which will be doubled thanks to a generous charitable Trust.. Some donations are still coming in, but our total so far, including match funding is (drumroll🥁) £23,340!

We hope our appeal and Charlotte’s story helped to raise awareness of the importance of second chances.

There is still time to get involved and join our appeal – every donation puts us one step closer to supporting a prison-leaver to re-frame their life, free from crime. Please mark your donations ‘Radio 4 Appeal’.

One-off Donations

£ Donation Amount:

Thank you!

Your support will help us reach and motivate more prisoners, secure patients and detainees to take part in the arts, learning the skills and gaining the confidence to lead creative, positive and productive lives.

Thinking of making a regular donation? Ongoing support means we can plan further into the future. If you’d like to find out more about becoming a Friend of Koestler Arts please click here.

Donation acknowledgement

How did you hear about us?

Please add more details if ‘other’ selected.

Personal Info

Title

First Name *

Last Name

Is this donation on behalf of a company?

No
Yes

Company Name

Email Address *

Create an account

I'd like to help cover the transaction fees of 0 for my donation.

Billing Details

Country *

Address 1 *

Address 2

City *

County *

Zip / Postal Code *

Donate quickly and securely with Stripe

How it works: A Stripe window will open after you click the Donate Now button where you can securely make your donation. You will then be brought back to this page to view your receipt.

Reclaim Gift Aid

Add 25% more to your donation at no cost to you. A Gift Aid declaration allows Koestler Arts to claim tax back on eligible donations. It means that for every £1 you donate to Koestler Arts we can claim back 25p, at no extra cost to you.

Yes, I would like to claim Gift Aid

By ticking the “Yes” box, I agree I would like Koestler Arts to reclaim the tax on all qualifying donations I have made, as well as any future donations, until I notify them otherwise. I understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year I may be asked to pay any difference. I understand that Koestler Arts will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give.

Gift Aid Address

Please use the billing details address
I'd like to use another address

Country *

Address 1 *

Address 2

City *

County *

Postal Code *

Consent to contact

Donation Total: £50.00

Listen in to the appeal

Charlotte’s story

Our Radio 4 Appeal shared Charlotte’s story.
After being released from prison, Charlotte felt hopeless – she didn’t know if she’d ever find her confidence or happiness again. When she joined the Koestler Arts Mentoring scheme she found a new sense of purpose. After working with her mentor for a year, she no longer saw herself as just an ‘ex-prisoner’, but as a writer.

Read Charlotte’s Story

The Impact of Mentoring

We offer the only free Arts Mentoring programme available to all prison leavers in England and Wales.

Since 2007, our Arts Mentoring scheme has paired hundreds of people leaving prison with trained arts mentors, helping them to achieve their full potential and become change agents in their own lives. Often traditional avenues of work are difficult to access for prison-leavers, but we’re pleased to see so many Koestler Arts mentees go on to pursue careers in the arts, for example as writers, filmmakers, directors, public speakers and business owners.

Reoffending costs the UK government over £18 billion a year. Last year 86% of Koestler Arts mentees had desisted from reoffending 6 months after finishing the programme.

In supporting prison-leavers to develop their skills, identify further arts and education opportunities, and boost their self-confidence, Arts Mentoring can make the difficult transition from custody to the community that bit easier, and help to break the carousel of reoffending.

To learn more about the Impact of Mentoring, click below.

Arts Mentoring