Fishmongers’ Hall heroes in housing project for ex-inmates
Steve Gallant (left) and Darryn Frost welcomed their first resident at Own Merit last year. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian
Darryn Frost and Steve Gallant are still dealing with the trauma of tackling a terrorist at Fishmongers’ Hall, London Bridge, in 2019.
Gallant, 47, who was on day release from prison where he was serving a life sentence for murder, helped fend off the attacker alongside Frost, 43, a probation worker who had grabbed a 1.5-metre long narwhal tusk as a weapon.
Although they are still coping with the mental toll, they are now channelling their shared experiences from opposite ends of the prison system to create something positive – a first of its kind facility to house recently released prisoners and support them back into society.
“I just want people to realise that people in prison have value, they don’t always have to be a societal burden,” said Frost. “We’re both still suffering from trauma – I have issues with memory and concentration – but we want to start a movement, shift the dialogue.”
The pair have worked with prisoners to create a model of “supportive housing” that they say is cost efficient, facilitates independence and fosters community-focused living. It is named Own Merit, in memory of Jack Merritt who was killed in the attack.
They welcomed their first resident last year and hope to expand with a unique five-storey premises in Northampton town centre, housing up to 30 released prisoners with an on-site training college and restaurant.
“The anxiety about getting out of prison and finding somewhere to live is huge,” said Gallant. “I saw guys getting released basically on to the streets.”
Having worked in probation for 17 years, Frost had long been passionate about improving prisoner rehabilitation, but it was the initial response to the Fishmongers’ Hall attack that acted as the catalyst to do something about it.
Frost said the reaction to his heroic acts differed from that towards Gallant and another former prisoner, John Crilly, who also helped fend off the attacker, as there was reticence about praising them because of their past crimes.
“When [people] didn’t jump at the opportunity to celebrate John and Steve’s actions on that day, the epitome of rehabilitation, I thought we have to do this ourselves,” said Frost. “Even now, because I’m doing this with Steve, there is a stigma. We can’t even get insurance because Steve is a director and he’s a lifer. Even though his crime was nearly two decades ago and since then, he’s done everything positive, it’s a no.”
Gallant was released from prison in 2021, and has since gone on to complete a degree in business management and secure a job as a full-time charity fundraiser.
“I might have to take a step back [from Own Merit] if it becomes a big issue,” he said. “It’s not great, particularly when you’ve proven yourself, you’ve put in massive effort to turn your life around. I’ve been on a long journey. It has been so rewarding bringing everything together for this, despite all the tragedy, and turning it into something useful for other people. That’s the biggest gift.”
He says their approach, speaking directly with prisoners in HMP Five Wells, Wellingborough, to find out what would help them most has enabled them to create something unique.
They have reduced staff costs at Own Merit by encouraging self-reporting, enabling residents to check in and out using technology, and installing CCTV cameras that help keep communal areas safe. Each week, if residents complete three tasks that benefit either themselves, the house-share or the wider community, they get £20 back on their rent.
“A lot of the stuff we’re doing are very basic things. If you walked in the house you would be underwhelmed because it looks very ordinary,” Gallant said.
“But the whole ethos changes when the residents have been given agency. We’ve changed the rules in the house 10-20 times, because at the weekly meetings, if something is not working, we adjust it. It’s about creating a sense of community where they belong and they’re not judged by their peers.”
Research has shown a growing number of prisoners are being released into homelessness. A recently published report on HMP Peterborough found a third of men released from the prison ended up homeless due to insufficient housing support.
A housing adviser had not visited the prison for more than a year, the report found, and 333 prisoners were released into homelessness in the year to January 2024.
“Is that what the public wants? Then they’re getting recalled at a cost of £50k a year to go back into prison. This is an absolute waste of money,” said Frost. “We know that of all the interventions, the one thing that reduces the likelihood of reoffending the most is housing. So let’s do that as a first step.”
They have struggled to get funding for their venture, with Frost initially funding it, and they rely on public donations, private investment and charity grants. But they hope as they grow, and aim to work with probation services and the Ministry of Justice on expanding their model, it will become self-sufficient.
“We spend over £18bn a year on reoffending. Clearly, the system is not working,” said Gallant.
“The model that we’ve got here, it doesn’t just make financial sense and it’s not just the right thing to do, but ultimately it improves public safety. Because the more successful these guys are when they come out of prison, the less chance they are to create future victims.”