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Thursday 22 December 2011

Anne Frank Exhibition at HMP Wormwood Scrubs

The final prison event for 2011 was held at Wormwood Scrubs in West London from 29th November to 2nd December.


A fantastic return to a local prison. A great week there with a fantastic group of Prison Exhibition Guides. The exhibition was sited in the beautiful chapel of the St Francis inside the prison, which was built by prisoners in the late 19th century.
Eva Schloss, Posthumous Step Sister of Anne Frank and Survivor of Auschwitz, was our Guest Speaker and again gave a very moving account of her life during and after the Holocaust. There was a wonderful performance of poetry by the creative writers group.
A wonderful end to an excellent year for the Prison Project. Many thanks to Governors Carter Allen and Redhouse for all their support. Below is one of poems produced in the Creative Writing Workshop, and performed at the closing ceremony.

Train Tracks; a found poem from the Thesaurus

To blacken:
to befoul,
to defile,
to besmirch,
to revile

to detract,
to begrime,
to dishonour,
to malign

to soil,
to decry,
to slander,
to nigrify

to tarnish,
to defame,
to sully,
to stain

to smear,
to denigrate,
to cloud,
to taint

To darken......

Poem Courtesy of Brian & Leah

Thursday 15 December 2011

Fundraising Lunch at the Clink Restaurant in HMP Highdown


Image: Courtesy of the Clink Restaurant

The first ever fundraising lunch for the AF Prison Project was hosted by Clinks restaurant in HMP High Down on the 19th October 2011.

The restaurant was filled to capacity with guests and sponsors and it was a great opportunity for supporters and Government Policy bodies to lean more about our work in prisons. The food was delicious and the staff and management of Clinks (all serving prisoners and ex-offenders) did a fantastic job in taking care of everyone that day. A special thanks to Chris Moore and Manager Dean for all their help in making it such a special day.

It was also such a joy to be able to invite the prison exhibition guides to join us for lunch, seated in each of the guest’s tables, they were able to talk to everyone about the exhibition at HMP High Down, and have the rare privilege of eating in the beautiful restaurant.
All in all, it was a great success and we would like to especially thanks Mr Kevin McGrath (Co-owner of Clink) who so generously sponsored the whole event and to Governor Peter Dawson for his continued unstinting support for the Anne Frank Trust UK.

Clink Restaurant: http://www.theclinkcharity.com/

Anne Frank Exhibition at HMP Highdown

The Anne Frank exhibition was at HMP Highdown from the10-19th October. A very interesting and worthwhile event over 9 days. The exhibition was very well attended and the Guides remarked that it would have been good to have had the exhibition longer!

During this time there were a number of workshops. Eva Clarke was the guest speaker, and told her own story actually being born in Mauthausen Concentration camp. Both her and her mother miraculously survived these horrors, and rebuilt their lives in the UK. A remarkable story and very much appreciated by all prisoners and staff who attended.

Leah Thorn also did some outstanding work with her creative writing group and produced an anthology of work entitled ‘To Stem a Tide’ some of which was performed at the Clinks fundraising lunch on the last day of the event.

Monday 12 December 2011

Anne Frank Exhibition at HMP Lowdham Grange

The exhibition was at Lowgham Grange from the 5th – 16th September. We had a fantastic two weeks. Equality Manager Rachel Dutton did a fantastic job in organising the event. The prisoner exhibition guides were a terrific bunch of guys who put so much effort into the project. Steve Gadd, the Prison Project Manager was very proud to work alongside them and be able to get to know them. The guides did wonderful presentations to all visitors, prisoners and staff.
Simon Winston was the Guest Speaker and stirred a lot of interest from his audience. Leah Thorne’s work with the creative writing group produced some outstanding work, and Leah rightly commented that “this was one of the best group ever”.

All thanks to Governor Gareth Sends for his full support and encouragement throughout!