Jeff went to school in Whitchurch. His first job was with Dewhursts the butchers. After a subsequent career of 31 years in the Prison Service he returned to Shropshire as Head of Regimes at Stoke Heath Young Offenders Institution. Jeff has a degree in Sports Studies from Keele University.

The 625 trainess are served 4 meals a day. Canteen facilities are also provided for staff. Snacks and drinks are offered at the Visitors Centre where numbers range from 150 on a weekday to 250 at weekends. In addition the Catering Department provide hospitality to official visitors to the establishment.

The Trainees can earn wages between £9 - £10, which are spent in the Prison Canteen. Food deliveries and the YOI Canteen facility are contracted out centrally by the Prison Service. Purchases are made from the local Iceland store, milk is delivered and services such as TV repairs are sourced locally.

There are 2 head chefs and a team of 9 in the catering Department. The food for the trainees is provided from a central kitchen and taken by heated trolley to 9 different locations on site. The YOI population is regularly surveyed in order to ensure an appropriate diet for the mix of ethnic minorities. This also allows for the different festivals and the use of appropriate implements in food preparation. The trainees pre-select their meals from a menu. They are no longer provided with a cooked breakfast as this slows the whole day. The exception is the Nurture group where trainees who have difficulty in getting on with each other cook and share breakfast together.

The YOI offers 2 horticultural courses and anticipate growing some of their own vegetables. Stoke Heath uses IT extensively. A range of computer courses provided including 2 funded by the EEC. The YOI provides computer services to the Youth Justice Board. It is linked to the Prison Service Intranet and is part of the Learn Direct project accessing library facilities, career information and training courses.