2020 began with new projects agreed and in new partnerships beginning with new prisons, unfortunately due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many of these project had to be placed on hold. The pandemic didn't stop our work to support offender rehabilitation through creativity!

Rapid response - developing new in-cell activities

Although the UK wide lockdown halted and paused our projects in prisons we were quick to adapt our support. Working closely with our partner prisons we quickly developed new in-cell activity that could be sent into prisons to offer some creative respite to prisoners locked in their cells for 23 hours every day without visits.

Songbird

Before the pandemic, we were working in prisons across the South East of the UK, providing choirs and other music activity. In lockdown this musical support has continued in the form of Songbird. The project provides song-writing activities to prisoners to work on in their cells. The songs are then recorded by our music makers and returned to the prisoner and shared with their families. This deep connection in a time of forced separation has had huge impacts for many.

Made Visible

After the success of the first year of the Made Visible project, we weren't going to let a pandemic get in our way! In partnership with the social enterprise Pictora, we continue to deliver this project remotely as in-cell activity in prisons.

Help us to continue

We will continue to develop these projects and as soon as we can, we'll resume our paused projects.

To ensure that our work can continue, this Christmas help us to reach our target of £3,000 to meet our core costs. Without funding for core costs (for example meeting governance requirements, and paying for project insurance) we simply can't continue to deliver projects in prisons. This is our first ever direct appeal to you for support, and it's needed now more than ever.

All images on this page are courtesy of Pictora.