A joint venture between The Oswin Project and HMP Northumberland operators, Sodexo Justice, will see the expansion of the Oswin commercial bakery enterprise thanks to grant funding from Scottish Power, and other partners.
This latest step will see the expansion of the existing and successful commercial bakery through the transformation of a disused prison kitchen into state-of-the-art new premises.
This will allow The Oswin Project to meet the ever-growing demand for its highly popular bread, pies, quiches and cakes, and to expand its outside catering offer plus add new lines.
Run by a mix of professional staff and volunteers it will also allow the charity to offer up to an additional 20 training places to serving prisoners taking the total number to up to 30 working in the Catering Enterprises in HMP Northumberland.
These candidates will gain food safety qualifications as well as learning specialised baking techniques suitable for any bakery.
Fiona Sample, Chief Executive Officer at The Oswin Project, said: “We all want safer communities and fewer victims of crime, that is why the Oswin Project’s Baking out project is so important. Through giving prisoners, the opportunity to work and learn, underpinned by mentoring, we put a wedge in the revolving door of reoffending.
“At Baking Out in partnership with HMP Northumberland we aim to change this – one loaf, one pie, one tray bake at a time.”
Vicky Robinson, Director at HMP Northumberland, said: “We are proud of the long-standing partnership we have built with The Oswin Project, which has helped design a truly rehabilitative offer at HMP Northumberland. The new bakery is a fantastic addition to an already diverse portfolio of purposeful activities we provide our prisoners.”
oswinproject.org.uk
uk.sodexo.com/industries/justice?