"Of all the aesthetic projects offered down the years to capture the imagination and tame the frustration of prisoners, fine needlework is one of the oddest. Yet it has worked, and borne fruit, and perhaps after all it is not surprising. Prisons even at their best are stark and utilitarian places. The chance to create a piece of 'unnecessary' beauty and send it out into the world is at once a defiance of that environment, and a good use of the time spent there." - Libby Purves
Our patrons:
Libby Purves OBE
Kaffe Fassett
Gen the Lord Ramsbotham, GCB, CBE
Gavin Turk
The Right Honourable Lady Justice Anne Rafferty DBE
Dame Judi Dench
Below is a list of our permanent office staff and our Trustees, but together these still make up a very small part of FCW; we couldn't do what we do without all our 200 volunteers.
Katy Emck
Chief Executive
“Daily, I feel Fine Cell Work makes the impossible real. It is about a constant unfolding of generosity and potential in other people. I love the fact that it breaks down so many social divisions and gets people whose lives wouldn’t otherwise intersect working together with entrepreneurial flair.”
Piero Donat
Sales and Marketing Manager
Sophie Jordan
Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator
Elena Hall
Commissions Manager
“What I love most about Fine Cell Work is its unique creative energy, the excellent ethos and the fact that every day is different.”
Helen Smith
Production Co-ordinator
Ben Jarman
Volunteer & Programmes Manager
Hilda Sheppard
Studio and Commissions Specialist
Carrie McArdle
Events Consultant
Geoffrey Rivlin
Trustee (Chair)
Selina Fellows
Trustee (Vice Chair)
Janet Dunlop
Trustee (Treasurer)
Carol Gallagher
Trustee