At Matthew’s House Swansea, we believe that hope and hospitality can reach people anywhere, even behind prison walls.
In early 2026, we began something that has quickly become one of the most precious and powerful parts of our work. We started bringing Matt’s Community Choir into Swansea Prison.
What began as a simple monthly session has already become something far deeper.
Meeting People Where They Are
The heart behind these sessions is simple.
To meet people where they are and help them move toward something better.
At Matthew’s House, we regularly meet individuals leaving prison who arrive at our doors in fear, panic and desperation. Too often, without the right support, they find themselves caught in a cycle that leads them back inside.
We want to be part of changing that story.
So this is about more than singing.
It is about connection, dignity, identity and interrupting the cycle of reoffending by creating moments that matter.
From First Sessions to Familiar Faces
After just a couple of sessions, only a few hours in total, we began to notice something shifting.
Familiar faces started returning.
Walls began to come down.
And the atmosphere changed.
Some of the men joked that they were singing in their cells for days afterwards. Songs like Set Fire to the Rain echoed through the wings long after the sessions ended.
But what happened next was something we could never have planned.
“Lost at Sea, Harbour Please Find Me”
After the second session, a small group of men came together and wrote their own song.
The chorus simply said:
“Lost at sea, harbour please find me.”
It was raw.
Honest.
Personal.
A reflection of their journeys. The mistakes, the pain, the feeling of being lost and the fragile hope of finding a way back.
When they shared it with us at the third session, the room stood still.
A Moment That Felt Like a Stadium
We paused.
Then we said, “Let’s sing it.”
At first, they could not believe it.
Their song, sung together.
But that is exactly what happened.
A guitar appeared.
One of the men stood up to lead.
And together, prisoners, staff and the Matthew’s House team sang.
There were around 15 to 20 men and they sang with everything they had.
It felt like a football crowd. Loud, united, passionate. But instead of cheering a team, they were cheering each other on.
In that moment, we paused again and said:
“If you really mean the words you are singing, if you hold onto this, your lives can change when you walk out of here.”
It was emotional.
It was honest.
And it felt like something shifted.
From Prison to Community
Just a few months in, we have already seen the impact.
One of the men has since been released and has joined Matt’s Community Choir on the outside.
He simply wants to fill his life with positive things.
To make a real change.
To build something different.
That is exactly what we hoped for.
And it is already happening.
A Growing Influence
This work continues to grow.
In April, Amanda, who leads Matt’s Community Choir, will be delivering a wellbeing session for staff at Swansea Prison, reaching every level of the team as part of their wellbeing programme.
This is what hope looks like.
It spreads.
It reaches further.
It grows beyond what we expected.
Why This Matters
This is why Matthew’s House exists.
To create spaces where people can
Feel human again
Discover hope
Rebuild identity
And begin again
Whether that is in a café, a garden, a choir or a prison.
These are precious moments.
Moments that remind us what happens when people are supported, encouraged and believed in.
Moments where people begin to become the best version of themselves, even in the hardest places.
A Thank You
To everyone who supports Matthew’s House through giving, volunteering, praying or encouraging, this is part of what you are building.
Hope does not always look loud.
Sometimes it sounds like a group of men standing together singing:
“Lost at sea, harbour please find me.”
And meaning it.