It was at Central England Quakers’ (CEQ) very special Peace Hub Launch Event that The Priory Rooms’ Beth Sadler first met one of the evenings hosts Tricia Bradbury. Tricia warmly greeted the wide array of guests who had come to celebrate CEQ’s latest peace-making project. Impressed by the amount of guests Tricia personally knew and her many anecdotes, Beth was keen to find out more about Tricia and how she has developed an extensive network of colleagues and friends.

Beth; Hi Tricia, lovely to meet you again. Can you tell me more about your current career and the projects you are involved with?

Tricia; I am currently the Quaker Chaplain at HMP Birmingham, Winson Green and HMP Oakwood near Wolverhampton. This takes me into custody twice a week for a full day as part of a multi faith team. On other days I sit in court as a Magistrate and have been a JP for over 30 years, dealing with family cases as well as criminal cases.
Previously I was a member and Chairman of an Independent Monitoring Board at a prison, then known as HMP Blakenhurst, and in this role visited Russia as part of a Government delegation to advise the Russians on Human Rights in relation to prisons. I was also chairman of the West Mercia Probation Board so some have said that I uniquely join up the whole criminal justice system! I still maintain my interest in the Probation Service sitting on a number of Trusts and Boards.

Beth; What is your career background? And what motivated you to have a career in the criminal justice system?

Tricia; My motivation for all these roles stems from my Quaker upbringing believing that there is something of good in everyone and links in with the long held Quaker interest in penal reform and the rehabilitation of offenders.

Beth; Can you tell me about your connection to CEQ?

Tricia; This January I became Clerk to the Trustees for CEQ which is a new and exciting challenge. I am also clerk to the CEQ Community Justice Group and Quaker Christmas Parcels for Prisoners Families as well as an active member of Stourbridge Quaker Meeting.

Beth; And finally, what is a quirky fact about you?

Tricia; In amongst all this I am a Deputy Lieutenant for Worcestershire, a rather unusual role for a Quaker, but one which actually supports many community activities as well as assisting with royal visits to the County.

Find out further information about Central England Quakers and all of their projects on the website http://www.centralenglandquakers.org.uk/web/