On another day in May, Phil packed up his podcasting gear and headed to York to explore a truly transformative initiative that was introduced to our CEO Robert Richardson at the “Thrive in the North” hospitality conference.

The initiative aims to integrate ex-offenders and current offenders into the hospitality industry. Robert joined Phil for this roundtable discussion featuring insights from esteemed guests, including Simon Mahon, General Manager of the Grand Hotel York (who also kindly hosted the discussion), Paul Hunter (at the time, General Manager of No 1. York and now at the Swinton Estate), Jasmine Bhatt (Employment and Opportunities broker for York City Council), Lisa Kaye (Prison employment lead at HMP Askham Grange) and Adam Wardale (General Manager at Middletons Hotel York).

Through this discussion we cover a lot including:-

• How this initiative came about
• What is ROTL (Release on temporary license)?
• Initial push back and stigmas
• Getting everyone on board
• The Big Pro’s and reasons why
• Things to expect
• The support available
• The first steps to take to get involved
• Some success stories

Please do join us as we uncover the powerful potential of giving individuals a fresh start and the significant benefits it brings to both the hospitality industry and society at large.

Enjoy!

To learn more about the Institute of Hospitality visit https://www.instituteofhospitality.org/

For any feedback on the show or to put yourself forward as a future guest, please contact Phil Street directly at phil.street@instituteofhospitality.org