Morton Hall Detainees Giving Back to Society
News release
9th July 2013
Detainees at Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre near Newark have been helping charities by handcrafting and donating various useful items as part of a new activity scheme.
In an informal ceremony on Friday 5th July, detainees at the centre presented representatives from Age UK Lincoln with a range of handmade items for the charity to give to its customers.
The donated items, which include spectacle cases and mobile phone holders, are made by detainees as part of a voluntary activity scheme run by the Home Office.
The free cases will be handed out by Age UK Lincoln to older people in the local area, both within the charity’s activity centre on Park Street, and to housebound people by the Age UK Lincoln Help in the Home and Personal Care services teams.
Age UK Lincoln’s Help in the Home service offers general day-to-day help in the home, including cleaning, meal preparation, ironing and grocery shopping, amongst other tasks, which are carried out by a dedicated home support worker.
The Personal Care service gives a helping hand with more intimate tasks, such as bathing, dressing and oral hygiene.
Age UK Lincoln’s Park Street activity centre Deputy Manager Helena Burt was one of the representatives at the presentation ceremony and said, “It’s a fantastic scheme and one that Age UK Lincoln wholeheartedly supports.
“These donations will make a difference to the older people of Lincoln who receive them, who will also know that they have been made by detainees who want to give back to society.
The project was the idea of Instructional Officer, Steve Russell, who said:
“We have always offered a range of vocational activities to the detainees but I soon realised that these projects would be a great way of helping a worthy charity like Age UK Lincoln, as well as teaching vital skills to the detainees, that they can use upon their return.
“I chose to partner with Age UK Lincoln to help and support, in some small way, the sterling work that they already do in the Lincoln area. They really make a positive difference to older people in our local community and the detainees are keen to give something useful back to society, so they loved the idea too.”
The activities are very popular with the detainees, who enjoy knowing that the products are used as charitable donations, and are also able to learn new skills to take with them when they return to their own countries.
“Many detainees who have chosen to participate in these activities are planning to buy sewing machines when they leave here, to set up their own businesses or enable them to easily find work back home.
“They have gained basic, useful skills in pattern cutting and stitching many different items,” said Health, Safety & Fire Administrator, Pat Sweeney. “The opportunity to take part in paid work is completely voluntary so it’s really heartening to see so many people here eager to take part.”
Other skills-based activities at the centre include the fabrication of baby clothes for disadvantaged families in the UK and abroad, refurbishment of old gardening equipment which is donated to schools and other charitable causes, and an upcoming project which will see detainees learning to refurbish old bicycles, to be donated to African communities.
Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre is one of 12 UK centres, used to temporarily detain people that have no legal right to reside in the UK but have refused to leave voluntarily for various reasons. It is managed via a Service Level Agreement between the Home Office and the National Offender Management Service.
Ends
Notes to editors:
• Age UK Lincoln is an independent charity which is part of the national Age UK network. Registered charity number 1078539.
• Age UK Lincoln celebrated its 55th anniversary on 7th June 2013.
• Age UK Lincoln’s aim is to enable people to lead full and active lives and stay safe and independent within their homes.
• The activity centre on Park Street, Lincoln is free to attend for people over 50 and doesn’t require membership. It offers activities such as language or art classes, dancing, computer skills, friendship clubs and more.
• The activity centre also offers free information and advice on issues such as finance, benefits, housing options and personal budgets.
• More information can be found at www.ageuk.org.uk/lincoln/
For media information please contact:
Cesca Bickley
Shooting Star PR
01522 528540
07763 616893
cesca@shootingstar-pr.co.uk
@cescabick
Cesca Bickley
Shooting Star PR
01522 528540
cesca@shootingstar-pr.co.uk
www.shootingstar-pr.co.uk
t: @cescabick
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