Lilly Lewis wins Emma Humphrey's Memorial Prize

We are delighted to announce that Lilly Lewis has won the 2019 Emma Humphrey’s Memorial Prize for all her hard work campaigning on behalf of women and children affected by domestic abuse. Lilly herself has experienced multiple abusive relationships and has told her story from prison in the hopes that it inspires others to leave abusive partners.

Despite being in an open prison and regularly being allowed out on day release, the prison did not give Lilly permission to attend the ceremony and collect her award, for fear of ‘public perception’. We of course believe this was a regressive decision and lament that the prison has cost an extraordinary woman the opportunity to be rewarded and celebrated for her achievements.

Lilly recorded her acceptance speech on a mobile phone at her night job and it was played at the ceremony.

The full text of her speech is copied below.

Even though she couldn’t attend in person, we managed to smuggle her in anyway!

“Hello everybody, it’s Lilly here. Firstly I would like to apologise for not being with everybody today at the Emma Humphries Memorial Awards. I am absolutely amazed and delighted to have won. I had to read the email 5 times and then ring Naima who nominated me to confirm that I was reading it right!

Some of you may not know that I am currently a serving prisoner at HMP Askham Grange. I am recording this at my night job at the Premier Inn where I am allowed to go due to Release on Temporary License. Unfortunately, although all the campaigning and media work I have done has been done with the full permission and involvement of the prison, I was not given permission by the Governor to attend tonight as he felt it would create too much bad publicity for a prisoner to attend an awards ceremony. I cannot help but feel if this was for any other cause than women speaking out about abuse by men, I would have been given permission. Speaking out about domestic abuse is still taboo and something that creates fear amongst the establishment. Their fear is why I am not there tonight. But I am no longer afraid.

I am a survivor of domestic abuse, and spent most of my adult life jolted from one abusive relationship to another. The abuse caused me to attempt suicide, develop a drug and alcohol dependency and lost me custody of my children. Eventually, the abuse led to my offending. I am in my fourth year of incarceration, but when I arrived in reception of HMP Foston Hall on 12th Feb 2016, I decided that I was no longer a victim. I decided that my life was going to change and I was going to change the lives of others. For the first time in years, I was safe. No longer would any man be able to emotionally, physically or sexually abuse me. Although I was behind a locked door, I was free. Free from fear, free to have my own thoughts and free to make my own decisions and ensuring all those decisions would have a positive impact on my four children. I was given the Gift of Time.

Every single day of my sentence I have strived to make those women around me who were less fortunate than myself or not able to cope, feel better and give them a little hope. As a Samaritan listener, I have been available 24 hours a day for women who would self-harm, unable to cope with the day to day life in prison. Through that role, I learnt so much about their lives and how traumatic they had been. It became really important to me to become a voice for these ladies who couldn’t find theirs. I knew I had to change the perception of women in prison, who have in over 57% of cases, been victims of domestic abuse.

I used the opportunities I was given to raise awareness of domestic abuse and the criminal justice system. I spoke to BBC journalists at BBC Stories, myself and my daughter were interviewed about the Farmer Review for the BBC website and I spoke on the radio on the BBC World Service about my experiences. I also wrote a blog which was published on APPEAL’s website.

4 weeks from now, the prison gates will open for the final time for me, and I intend to continue campaigning and working on prison reform. I will continue to tell my story in the hope that it may encourage other women to leave abusive partners.

I hope one day I will be in a room with all of you amazing ladies and may we all continue to campaign for women and children to be safe from abuse from men. Please look out for me on the other side of these gates!

I’d like to say a huge thank you to Naima and APPEAL for recognising the work I have done, however I couldn’t have done it without you.

I know I am just an ordinary woman but I know one day I will achieve extraordinary things.“