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| History & Ethos |
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Our History
The Trust was registered at the Charity Commission on 1st September 1958 by a group called “Team K” who were associated with an organisation called Christian Teamwork. They were a group of committed Christian businessmen and women who had become aware of the needs of prisoners leaving custody. They had been approached by a man who wanted them to give him a car so that he could start his own business. They wanted to help but knew that providing material goods alone would not solve his difficulties.
Prisoners leave behind a safe environment where food, warmth and shelter are provided and there is little incentive to think for oneself. Outside, especially when money is short, the temptation to resort to crime is huge and for many irresistible. Then, as today, a large proportion of prisoners re-offended within a very short time and returned to prison. “Team K” dreamed of offering such men a home environment with a husband and wife team acting as house-parents, where they could be helped to make the difficult transition to a crime-free life with every chance of success.
Our first General Secretary was John Dodd who had been held as a prisoner of war in Changi Jail during World War II. His death-defying wartime experiences made a huge impact on him and after the war, when he began to visit prisoners in Parkhurst Prison, he was only too aware of the issues they faced. As God became more central in his life, he began to sense a real call to do something more to help them. In the early days of the Trust, he headed up operations, visited prisoners, raised funds, recruited staff and set up the first “houses”. (You can read more about John’s life in a book by Diana Norman entitled “Road from Singapore” ISBN 0 340 23483 0). John continued as General Secretary until April 1982 although he continued to be active as a Trustee and a lifelong supporter of our work. John Dodd M.B.E. died on January 11th 1987, having been succeeded in 1981 by Anthony Richards O.B.E.
Our name is derived from a property we applied to purchase in Hampshire, called Langley Farm House. In fact, the Trust was “gazumped” during the sale and never actually owned that property. Our first house was Elderfield near Winchester which opened in 1959 and is still owned by the Trust. We now call the houses “projects” and organise them along highly professional lines, but we have remained faithful to that original vision of God’s heart for the support and resettlement of ex-offenders.
In 2005, the Trust merged with a smaller Christian charity, The Torbay Churches Homeless Trust, whose facilities became part of Langley and were renamed The Torbay Project. This project works with those from disadvantaged and marginalised groups who are homeless. Our existing work with ex-offenders and those at risk of offending continues at our other projects but we are glad that this new venture allows us to offer support to a new group of vulnerable men and women.
Our Ethos
Today we continue to offer accommodation and support for ex-offenders looking to resettle and play a constructive role in the community and in doing so we are committed to helping to protect the public from the harmful effects of re-offending. We are also now able to assist those from marginalised and disadvantaged groups who do not have an offending background.
Mission Statement
Projects
We have 16 projects across the country, arranged into 6 broad types:
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Above, the life and work of John Dodd who was awarded an M.B.E in 1968 is celebrated by the TV programme 'This is Your Life'.
Below, Langley's first house, Elderfield, near Winchester was opened in 1959. |
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