Since opening our first HMP Academy in 2012, we’ve worked hard to grow our programme and impact, working in prisons across the North West, North East and Midlands. We now (February 2022) work in 11 prisons, operating seven of our own HMP Academies, and delivering our programme in another four.

We continue to operate our workshops in HMPs Lancaster Farms, Kirkham, Buckley Hall, Altcourse, Styal, Sudbury and Hatfield. The teams here have coped extremely well with the challenges created by lockdowns and ongoing restrictions.

Our commitment to finding new opportunities has allowed us to move into four new prisons – HMPs Hull, Humber and Wealstun for men, and HMP Foston Hall, for women – and further expand our offering in HMP Sudbury. Learn more here.

Following changes within the prison service, we have agreed some closures:

• HMP Thorn Cross – This was one of our first Academies and its closure felt quite bittersweet… Prison bosses at this Category D men’s prison are now seeking to focus on ROTL opportunities, to get more men out on ‘day release’. Temporary release is a really positive step, significantly reducing reoffending rates, and is an integral part of the government’s prisoner education and employment strategy. We’d worked in this prison since 2016, supporting hundreds of men, including dozens into ROTL placements with our partners, so we’re heartened that the impact we demonstrated is being rolled out further.
• HMP Dovegate – This Academy closed due to recategorization of the prison, from Category B local to Category B trainer.
• HMP Wymott – The two workshops here, for recycling, and welding and fabrication have now closed, for logistical reasons.
• HMP Lincoln – Formerly a workshop to trial recycling the prison’s own waste streams.