Founded 1980
Chair:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Graham Smith
Jan Thompson
Graham Mumby-Croft
Graham Mumby-Croft
Issue No. 78 SPRING 2018
One amazing lady - that is how anyone who met Paddy Scriven, as we all knew her, would describe her. In fact, there are very few people who make a lasting impression on us to the extent that we truly never forget them: Paddy Scriven was definitely one of those people. Within the Prison Service there were few people who had not heard of her in one way or another, and if you were a Manager or Governor Grade you would almost certainly have heard of her. She was simply that sort of person. She was certainly one of those people that the phrase, "Once met, never forgotten" was not only accurate but also highly appropriate.
Paddy had a reputation of being a larger-than-life character, and having met her you were left with the impression that her reputation somewhat undersold just how complex a person she really was and how passionate she was in everything that she did. Paddy had many sides to her character - she had been a model in her younger days, she loved her garden, flower arranging, her dinner parties and entertaining were thoroughly enjoyed by close friends, she designed and made wedding and Christening gowns, intricate sewing was her trademark, she collected fine china and could often be found browsing auction catalogues and placing telephone bids for rare pieces of her beloved Pinxton, she was an accomplished horsewoman and a fount of knowledge on local history and stately homes. Paddy loved to maintain traditions and whilst at Foston Hall she resurrected the making of nosegays for the various officials to carry at the High Sheriff's Service at Derby Cathedral - every nosegay was meticulously researched and contained the correct herbs and spices according to the position of the bearer.
Paddy had a very individual way of being able to talk to anyone about almost everything. She never failed to amaze with her skills: one day she carried a brace of pheasants from Rugby on the train (first class of course), on the Underground and up to the 7 floor, where she set about showing colleagues how to draw and pluck the birds. We never did find out what the cleaners thought of the bin contents that evening! Colleagues will have many such stories of Paddy - one amazing lady!
Paddy's career in the Prison Service started as a bet, which saw her joining Holloway as an Officer in 1972. Instead of only lasting the expected few months Paddy went from strength to strength with a wide-ranging career in HMPS and as Paddy described, "remained there perfectly contentedly" until her retirement. She was promoted to Governor Grade in 1976, with her first posting as an AG to Leyhill, where regularly she was ably assisted by a ventriloquist's dummy called Gerald. Whilst taking prisoner applications Gerald would sit on Paddy's filing cabinet. Upon hearing the request Paddy would look over her shoulder and say "What do you think Gerald?" She would then tell the prisoner what Gerald had decided.
It is well known and well documented, that Paddy was a founder member of the PGA and was instrumental in the break away from the Civil Service Union that at the time represented, or as Paddy was always keen to point out, failed to represent the interests of Prison Governors. From the time of these events in 1987, until her retirement in 2014, she was always involved in anything and everything that the PGA did. She was passionate, almost to the point of fanatical, about the role, values and the relevance of the PGA in not only in representing the interests of Governor Grades within the Service but also in representing the standards and principles by which the Service was run, and how the Service treated the prisoners whose care with which it was entrusted. Her attention to detail was second to none. This in turn led to her holding the very ardent view that the introduction of privately run prisons was "morally wrong", as she believed that as it was the State that sent people to prison, it should be the State's responsibility to directly operate the prisons in which people were held, and not a "for profit company".
In her role as PGA Finance Officer Paddy ensured that the organisation remained solvent, whilst at the same time providing a level of support to members that meant that even Governor grades who were not particularly motivated with regard to Trade Union membership were happy to join the PGA because of the support and protection it provided. Many of these support services were established by Paddy who worked hard to ensure that whilst the Association provided this, the subscription levels remained reasonable and affordable. In addition, she also made sure that the Association was in a position to provide a sane and professional voice on those occasions when things went wrong for the Service. As Finance Officer, through the implementation of a one-off levy, she made sure that the Association was in a position to be able to respond, and fully engage with the huge and wide-ranging enquiry that followed the events of April 1990 when serious disruption at Strangeways, and several other establishments, almost brought the Service to its knees. Many are of the view that this was indeed the "coming of age" of the PGA and, as always, Paddy was there at the forefront.
In 2013 Paddy was awarded the OBE in the New Year's Honours List for services to HM Prison Service. The award was well deserved, but as always Paddy was very modest about her achievements, side-stepping recognition and praise with comments like, "I was just doing my job". However, we all knew that Paddy was very proud of what she had achieved during her working life, but really would have loved to have been Lady Patricia Scriven! There is no doubt that during her time as Governor of Foston Hall Paddy was truly "in her element". This is a unique prison establishment, was governed by a unique woman, and although not completely unheard of, it was certainly unusual for anyone to govern an establishment for 10 years unbroken. Foston Hall and Paddy suited each other. Her passion for ensuring that female prisoners were treated with dignity and care was renowned and she became an advocate for what she sometimes saw as the "poor relative of the Service". Paddy maintained her own personal style but was never afraid to "get her hands dirty", responding to an alarm bell alongside the best of them. Her calming influence and presence will be remembered by all that served their time at Foston Hall - both staff and prisoners. Paddy knew every member of staff by name, as well as their families, and always took the time to ask how they were and took an interest in what they were doing. It cannot be overstated that she had an encyclopaedic knowledge of everyone in the Service, as well as those who had left, and an incredible memory for detail.
Foston Hall is based around the 17th century former Hunting Lodge which is a Grade 1 listed building. Paddy was a Governor who cared not only about the staff and prisoners in her care but about the establishment as well. It was important for her that whilst the establishment expanded, developed and offered a wide range of employment and training opportunities for prisoners, the history of the place was not forgotten. As a result, the "Main House", as it was known, and in particular the Governor's office, had no equal within the Service with regard to space, view and grandeur. The Works staff, in particular, will have many a story to tell about the "To Do" list which never diminished, and the Regional Works Manager, who was expected to always produce the funding to make "To Do" "done".
Paddy "retired" from Foston Hall in 2007 to take up the position of General Secretary of the Association. In fact, she was the last person to hold this position, as a complete overhaul to the Facilities Time Agreement saw major changes introduced, resulting in the Prison Service no longer funding the General Secretary role. In order to see in these changes Paddy worked beyond her retirement age and was instrumental in ensuring that the transition went as smoothly as possible, and that the Association remained in a position to not only be able to provide support to members, but to be able to continue to provide a voice of reason and common sense, as the Service seemed to enter a period of extreme difficulty as staff numbers reduced and day-to-day problems mounted. Paddy fully retired from the PGA and the Service in 2014, looking forward to being able to spend time in her garden, travelling and doing more of the things she didn't have time for whilst working.
Paddy was notorious for her poor timekeeping, and for being late for everything. On one occasion an Area Meeting was being held and at 10:30 in the morning everyone was present and ready to start, including Paddy. At this point, the Area Manager made a point of saying to her how pleased he was that on this one occasion she was on time, to which she responded without hesitation, or embarrassment, "It is only because I thought you were starting at 10". On many occasions, Paddy would walk through her office door saying she had either been stuck behind a JCB, her hairdryer had broken, the shower wouldn't work, she had been horse riding earlier or she had seen a ladder in her tights and had to go back and change. She was amazing; she never missed a breath and went straight into the meeting or whatever was taking place. This was a lady with real style and confidence. She used to say to those closest to her, "One day the late Miss Scriven will really be the late Miss Scriven!"
Anyone who knew Paddy will have their own story or anecdote to tell about her, and there can be no better way for people to remember her, and to keep her memory alive than to continue telling those stories. As with any larger-than-life character some stories may have become myths and others, although true in origin, actually only tell half the story. Whatever category your memory of Paddy falls into I am sure that you will continue to share those stories and memories for years to come. She was a great one for anecdotes herself, and often meetings would be side-tracked when a particular name or event was mentioned, and this brought a story to her mind that then had to be shared, irrespective of relevance to the meeting, or timing. PGA Committee meetings often ran far longer than required simply because of these "excursions". As soon as Paddy launched into one of these tales from the past, one Committee member would make the sound of a klaxon and issue the warning "anecdote alert", although this never once stopped her.
Paddy Scriven was unique, kind-hearted, strong, generous, supportive, honest, eloquent, straight-talking and intelligent with real vision and insight, but in many respects a very private person who valued her privacy. May she Rest in Peace and her memory live on with all of us who will remember her forever, and truly miss her.
Compiled by Graham Mumby-Croft and Carole Jones,
with heartfelt thanks to those who contributed to this fitting tribute
Paddy Scriven OBE
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