Testimonials – Unlocking the Potential

Prisons / Probation Testimonials

"Excellent presentation by Gethin to staff and residents. Everyone was riveted and humbled by his honest account and you could literally see the seeds of change being planted as he spoke. So inspired and grateful to Gethin for sharing this with us and helping us along our journey towards being better custodians for the men in our care. Thank you and please visit us again."

Pia SinhaGovernor

"Having met Gethin a few times I thought I knew what I was in for when this talk was to be delivered. Wrong, he took me by surprise. The impassioned way he discussed himself, his life, his experiences and how with some mental resolve to recover from his past life, to move on and to be a success is nothing short of inspirational to anyone lucky enough to meet him. Not only this though, the way he now engages with vulnerable people and those in custody sends a real message of hope to them. Remarkable. So inspired and grateful to Gethin for sharing this with us and helping us along our journey towards being better custodians for the men in our care. Thank you and please visit us again."

John Woolham (HMP Liverpool)Decency and Rehabilitation Lead

"We invited Gethin to speak to our middle management group as part of our ‘Leading London Initiative’. This initiative consists of a series of events to develop our staff and help inspire/shape NPS’s next generation of leaders. The workshop itself focused on Leadership vs. Management. Gethin ran two sessions which were very well received. All of those who attended rated the event either four or five stars (out of a possible five) and many asked for follow up sessions. Gethin himself was very enthusiastic and his inspirational story really resonated with our staff."

Kilvinder Vigurs Divisional Director at National Probation Service (London)

Gethin is the living embodiment that change is possible!

"I have been fortunate enough to hear Gethin speak on a few occasions now and from each I have taken something away. His experiences have provided me with a different perspective and instilled hope. Only positive things can come from hearing Gethin’s story and I am grateful there are people out there like him willing to share and help others."

Danielle Cooper Custodial Manager Operations - HMPYOI Aylesbury

"Gethin articulates the message of rehabilitation and desistance in a way that is understandable and inspiring for all in the vicinity of his voice. Gethin speaks from a unique perspective and on every occasion Gethin has challenged me, taught me something new and filled me with hope for system wide change."

StaffHMPYOI Aylesbury

"Gethin stands out as an authentic example of the power of unlocking ones own potential, for oneself. Gethin is someone who was just right for our Prisons journey and who could help us move forward more effectively. The staff responded very positively to Gethin’s story, positivity and message of hope. To hear a “reformed” residents message of “don’t do everything for residents, its essential they learn to help themselves” is reassuring. The Residents were enthused, inspired, energised and hungry for Gethin’s message. Word spread like wildfire on the wings resulting in numerous requests to meet with Gethin."

Emma StewartDirector - HMP Addiewell (Sodexo)

"Gethin spoke to roughly 100 – 150 of our staff as part of the new HMPPS business strategy launch and his input was invaluable. We very rarely get to see the success that happens when people leave prison – and that can be quite deflating and can lead people to lose sight of why we do what we do. Seeing Gethin and hearing his story reminded us about the impact that prison staff can have on people’s lives and that we need to maximise that impact for a positive outcome. Looking around the room I saw lots of smiles as Gethin interacted with the audience and shared his stories, some with a funny twist! But ultimately it was thought provoking and inspiring – everyone really enjoyed it”

Neil ThomasGovernor - HMP Stocken

“I attended the Gethin Jones talk in the chaplaincy and I really enjoyed the session. I was inspired by the courage he showed as an ex-offender and in how he had developed a stable community based company. I listened and was encouraged by his efforts to reach all of us, including staff with a message of reintegration, rehabilitation and the regeneration of self-worth”

Mens feedbackHMP Stocken

"Gethin’s energy and enthusiasm matched his positive contributions on his website and social media. The residents saw Gethin as ‘someone who knows what it’s like’. Gethin has been the initiator to change for many of those he has worked with. Our staff connected instantly with what Gethin was saying and his reflection on his own journey. Gethin has managed to reach out and inspire residents and staff that would be least likely to engage in self reflection in a way I have never seen before. Gethin created a sizeable change in some of our residents particularly around utilising the the time and opportunities available to them in prisons. Gethin unlocks everyones potential!"

John JoyceHead of Opperations - HMP Addiewell (Sodexo)

"Gethin spoke at our annual awards ceremony for employees and service users, and used his own story to inspire the audience about how people from every part of the justice sector can work together to support a service user on their journey away from criminal activity. His words, both humorous and thoughtful, truly resonated with the audience and his acknowledgement of the support his Probation Officer gave him rang true. ‘If anyone asked me what made a difference,’ he said, ‘I would say “people”. People change people.’ He lit up the room with enthusiasm and afterwards many front-line employees (including probation officers) spoke about how his recognition of their work energised and inspired them. A wonderful talk to help draw our ceremony to an end, and we wouldn’t hesitate to ask him back!"

David Hood MDLondon CRC MTC

"Gethin was a great speaker, and he really moved the room by telling our practitioners how important they are in the journey of a service user. It was a message that they really needed to hear, and I know many of them were really touched." "I loved Gethin’s talk. I think it gave us a really important reminder of things we should hold with us every day."

Staff soundbitesLondon CRC MTC

Local Authorities & Education Testimonials

Feedback from delegates was that his talk was “Amazing, his take on life and how he managed to change things around”. They also thought it was “Powerful”, “Inspirational” and “wished he had had more time to talk”. They felt that it was a positive message that “even if you don’t feel that you are making a difference at the time you can help turn people’s lives around”. Gethin was a fantastic speaker who engaged our foster carers and team giving us lots to think about and ideas that we could put into practice. His experience is particularly relevant to foster carers and other people working with Looked After Children as he is able to give a rare insight into the lives of the children, parents and professionals that we work with. So inspired and grateful to Gethin for sharing this with us and helping us along our journey towards being better custodians for the men in our care. Thank you and please visit us again.

Sue WhiteTeam Leader - Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service

Working with Gethin has been easy; from initial contact on LinkedIn, to phone conversations and finally delivery of the product has taken 5 days. Gethin understood the brief immediately and was able to deliver exactly what we needed to help our students deal with isolation in these clearly challenging times. The personal story/touch combined with his passion for developing resilience is impressive. So inspired and grateful to Gethin for sharing this with us and helping us along our journey towards being better custodians for the men in our care. Thank you and please visit us again.

Dominic ThompsonHigher Education Manager/Teaching and Learning Coach

Gethin had delivered a ‘Seeds of Belief’ Development Programme to our Clients, and due to the success of this Programme, I asked Gethin to deliver his ‘Art of Communication’ Workshop to the Support Workers. These was a mixture of Staff from Portsmouth City Council, The Wheatsheaf Trust and Southhampton City Council. So inspired and grateful to Gethin for sharing this with us and helping us along our journey towards being better custodians for the men in our care. Thank you and please visit us again.

Liz CrateOperations Manager, Solent Jobs Programme at Southampton City Council

"I found Gethin a very inspirational man and the facilitator of an excellent Workshop. It really made you think about how you communicate with clients and how different approaches / changing approaches can benefit your working relationship with a client to gain the best possible outcome for them." "Gethin’s personal story – though extreme – was fascinating. The part of the Training I found most useful was probably the Transactional Analysis. It made me reflect on my own style of practice when working with clients." "Gethin clearly knew his subject and his Delivery was engaging." "Yesterday’s training was really enjoyable and I feel that we covered the objectives that were set at the beginning, of raising awareness. It was eye opening and I can definitely find myself referring back to certain sections to make sure I am more effective with my Delivery."

Comments from Delegates

Corporate Customer Testimonials

HPE worked with Gethin in order to promote a positive image with the UK justice sector and make a new connections in a rapidly evolving market. In partnership with Gethin we hosted an event at our offices in central London, which focused on the topic of prisoner rehabilitation. The event was not technology focused but more about understanding how a rehabilitation process can be approved and enhanced across a number of areas, including technology and innovation. Gethin worked tirelessly to attract the necessary speakers as well as using all of his contacts to drive up attendance, and provided regular updates over a four month period leading up to the event. The event itself was extremely successful in every aspect. It has helped HPE to raise a positive profile in in important sector and build new and lasting relationships with key individuals.

Chris Burnett (Hewlett Packard Enterprise)Client Director UK Central Government

We approached Gethin after a recommendation from a colleague, who saw him speak to a group who appeared disengaged by other speakers but captivated by Gethin’s authentic and genuine personality. The brief was met perfectly. The main purpose of including a motivational speaker in our event was to inspire our Social Investment Champions/Ambassadors and to help them understand the importance of storytelling, which would then increase colleague engagement and involvement across Nationwide.

Hayley Taylor (Nationwide Building Society)Engagement & Events Manager

The Keynote and breakout workshops were engaging and inspiring. Following Gethin’s introductory session we asked our colleagues, ‘How did Gethin’s story make you feel in one word?, and in response, some words used were ‘inspired’, ‘motivated’, ‘emotional’, ‘powerful’, ‘encouraged’ and ‘brave’. In our post event survey, Gethin’s breakout session was voted the top session of the day and colleague responses absolutely mirrored this: ‘I liked how honest Gethin was about his past. It was inspiring to see how his self-belief, drive and perseverance turned a very negative situation, in to a positive one that he is using to influence others.’

Hayley Taylor (Nationwide Building Society)Engagement & Events Manager

Check out what I have to offer

To Services

What Next?

Prisons / Probation Testimonials

Gethin is the living embodiment that change is possible!

Local Authorities & Education Testimonials

The session was both relaxed and informative, and the style allowed for free thinking and sharing of ideas. ‘Working with’ to develop ideas, rather than being ‘lectured’.

Corporate Customer Testimonials

Check out what I have to offer