Man-to-man charity setting up third Cornish branch

A charity that works with young men who are at risk of offending is expanding to help more people.

National charity, A Band of Brothers, provides weekly one-on-one mentoring sessions for men aged 18 to 25 who have had traumatic childhoods that have led to then being involved in the criminal justice system or put them at increased risk of doing so.

In 2024, in Cornwall, the charity received 68 referrals - an estimated 30% increase compared to 2023.

It has branches in Penzance and Falmouth and is now expanding to create a mid-Cornwall group in St Austell.

Paul Priestley, 42, who has been a mentor in Falmouth for about 18 months, said he got involved because there did not seem to be enough support for men who had difficult childhoods without role models.

"There's a lot of issues around criminality due to the fact men aren't supported and people are falling into communities of people that may not be conducive to a positive outcome in life," he said.

"For example abuse they may have witnessed... there's also the witnessing of drug and alcohol abuse and also for those in the care system, maybe a sense of neglect that leads them to that place of being out control and not being able to move forward with their life."

Mr Priestley said: "We get to sit in a circle, we get to look at each other, have eye connection and contact, and to be able to talk about what it is really like for us at the moment - our feelings, our thought processes, and how they're impacting us."

He said: "With a mentor-mentee relationship... we have to build a level of trust with these young men to be willing to talk about these subjects which may be difficult to bring to the surface."

Thurstan Crockett, regional lead for the South West, said of the 68 referrals they had paired 55 men with mentors.

He said there were about 30 trained mentors in Cornwall, but the charity was "always looking to recruit more".

Mr Priestley said: "I think, more than anything else, it's making that connection with a young man and being able to guide them, and knowing that what you've done will lead them to a better state of being… it's such a wonderful thing to witness."

He said: "Another aspect I always feel wonderful about is that by helping these men we're making the wider community a safer place."

Mr Priestley said the charity helped to "make well-rounded individuals".

He said: "We are now seeding a new circle in St Austell and gradually starting to spread to other areas of the county where deprivation and problems in society are quite rife and where we can give more help."

Mr Priestley said he hoped the charity would be able to open more circles - or branches - not just in Cornwall but around the country.

"This really does need to happen everywhere to give that support to these men who, up till now, have had no support."

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