New Directors appointed at HMP Dovegate and Lowdham Grange

Serco is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Prison Directors at HMP Dovegate and HMP Lowdham Grange.

Mark Hanson has taken over as the new Prison Director at HMP Dovegate, near Uttoxeter.

Mark moves to his new role at Dovegate from Serco-run HMP Lowdham Grange, where he was the Prison Director since 2016, when he joined Serco from the Prison Service.

Prior to joining Serco, Mark spent 26 years in the Prison Service. He started at HMP Mount and was a Deputy Governor at an impressive and diverse number of prisons, including HMP Kennet, HMP Preston, HMP Wakefield and Governor at HMP Lindholme.

Talking about his new post, Mark said: “I am delighted to have moved to HMP Dovegate.  As a Category ‘B’ prison with over 1,000 prisoners serving a range of sentences, as well as the specialist Therapeutic Centre, this prison has a complex and challenging group of prisoners.

“Despite the challenges that Covid has given the prison, Dovegate is a safe, well run and settled prison, with confident and engaged prisoners and knowledgeable staff. 

“That is all down to an excellent management team and the hidden heroes who work here. They do an incredible job in challenging circumstances and I am looking forward to working with them.” 

A few miles East, Martin Booth has taken over as the new Prison Director at HMP Lowdham Grange, near Nottingham.

Martin moved to his new role at Lowdham Grange from Serco-run HMP Ashfield near Bristol, where he was the Prison Director for almost three years since March 2019.  

Martin has 30 years custodial experience.  His first role with Serco was working with the Business Development team that won the contract to run HMP Thameside.  Martin joined HMP Lowdham Grange’s management team in 2010 before moving to New Zealand as part of the team transitioning Mount Eden Corrections Facility in 2011.  Martin returned to the UK in 2014 when he became the Deputy Director at HMP Doncaster before being promoted to the role of Prison Director at HMP Ashfield in March 2019.

Talking about his new post, Martin said: “I am delighted to have moved to HMP Lowdham Grange.  The prison has faced severe challenges from Covid over the past two years, but as the Independent Monitoring Board reported last year, this was extremely well managed.  Prisoners feel safe, are treated fairly and humanely and with respect and there is a regime built on a positive ethos.

“Lowdham has an excellent management team and the hidden heroes who work here do an incredible job in challenging circumstances and I am proud to be joining them.”