Fine Cell Work’s mission

Fine Cell Work is a social enterprise that teaches needlework to prison inmates and sells their products. The prisoners do the work when they are locked in their cells, and the earnings give them hope, skills and independence.

Our mission is to rehabilitate prisoners by giving them the opportunity to earn and save money and the chance to reflect on and rebuild their lives through craft and achievement. Prisoners do Fine Cell Work for an average of 3 years: the benefits can therefore be profound

Facts and Figures about our work

• Fine Cell Work is now done in 26 prisons
• 80% of the stitchers are men
• In 2008, 403 fine cell workers earned a total of £61,890
• The inmates are taught by 50 volunteer instructors
• All our classes have waiting lists
• In 2008 we had roughly 150 offers of volunteering
• In 2004-08 we had enquiries from 63 prisons which we did not have the resources to meet

“Fine Cell Work gives these men dignity in work and through this, dignity in life. When a man gains self-respect he may start addressing his offending behaviour”
Officer, HMP Wandsworth

Our stitchers spend an average of 20 hours per week doing embroidery in their cells. The highest earners stitch for as long as 40 hours. It is a way of life that enables them to serve their time with dignity and purpose.

The Future

Fine Cell Work aims to show that prison work can be the best on offer and to enable prison inmates to help themselves by selling their work to the general public. In the future, we aim to work with as many inmates as wish to participate, establishing a tradition of skilled craftwork in prisons. Fine Cell Work belongs, above all, to the inmates who do the work.

“It opens up another world, one that in many ways is long-forgotten. It is reinventing the craftsmanship of yesteryear. Then there is the pride and usefulness in seeing something of beauty come together, and the thought that my and my friends' cell work will bring pleasure, now and hopefully long into the future, to the recipient. It allows us to once again do and start something new and be useful.”
Inmate, HMP Wandsworth

Our History

Fine Cell Work was founded by Lady Anne Tree, who first had the idea in the 1960's when she was a prison visitor at HMP Holloway. With the help of the Royal School of Needlework she enabled two lifers to make needlepoint carpets which were then sold as collectors items in New York. However, in those days the prisoners were not allowed to receive money for the work. This determined Lady Anne to establish an organisation in which prisoners could learn a skill to the highest level and be paid for their efforts.

“It's one of the few things done in prison that has a purpose, is creative, constructive and has a point. Every canvas is a challenge, some more than others. It also helps me with to earn money to buy stamps and phone cards to keep in touch with my family.” Inmate, SPS Peterhead

FINE CELL WORK PEOPLE

Patrons

The Right Hon Lord Bingham of Cornhill
Kaffe Fassett
Libby Purves OBE
Lord David Ramsbotham GCB CBE

President
Lady Anne Tree, the founder of Fine Cell Work, was a prison visitor for twenty-five years, entertainments officer at HMP Wandsworth and a prison inspector. She had the idea for Fine Cell Work more than forty years ago, fought to get it accepted, and continues to contribute her wisdom and support to the charity.

Chair
Jean Gomm has extensive senior executive experience in the corporate sector, international and non-profit organisations. She has over 25 years of senior strategy and development responsibilities at the OECD in Paris and is also experienced in small company management. She is President of the Harvard Business School Alumni Club of London, a Trustee of the British Friends of Harvard Business School and a member of the Development Committees of the Microloan Foundation’s Micro-venture Committee and Rights and Humanity.

Vice Chair
Selina Fellows is a retail consultant. She has extensive retail experience from strategic planning to product development, operations and sales channels in both large and small companies. She is a Director of Whitechapel Gallery Ventures, St Pauls Cathedral Enterprises, the British Ballet Organisation and a Trustee of the Espinoza Memorial Fund.

Trustees

Anthony Gater worked as Head of Textiles and Consumer Goods for the National Economic Development Office and in economic development for charity

Sandy Jones  has since the early 1990s designed modern carpets internationally. She is also a director of Chester Jones interior design practice.

Sophie Kingsley worked for 15 years in Human Resources, then in Financial Services as an HR Director for Barclays Capital. She started her own business E I 8 H T, in 2005 and sold it internationally as a going concern in 2008.

Janet Dunlop is a Chartered Accountant who has worked in the private equity industry for 17 years and is currently Chief Operating Officer of Lion Capital.

Melissa Wyndham  is a well known interior designer with twenty five years experience in the industry, working on historic as well as modern projects for the National Trust and government as well as private clients.

Caroline Wilkinson   has served as a volunteer for Fine Cell Work for 11 years and has wide volunteering experience for the probation service as well as charities in Africa and the Middle East. She is also a former teacher and contemporary quilter of note.

Executive Director
Dr. Katy Emck acted and directed plays for another prison charity, Geese Theatre Company, before working as a literary academic and journalist and then joining Fine Cell Work as its first employee. She has been working with prisoners for more than 20 years and is responsible for the overall direction, business management and fundraising of the charity.

Sales and Website Manager
Rebecca Mistry joined FCW after a career as a Literary Agent for Rogers, Coleridge & White Ltd. She has greatly helped establish FCW’s sales and business profile since joining in 2006, liaising with commissions and internet customers and building the charity's domestic and international sales through its website, for which she is responsible.

Production Manager (part-time)
Philippa Hislop has worked as a senior administrator and as an editor in publishing. She co-ordinates the provision and delivery of needlework kits and materials to 52 volunteers and 340 prisoners throughout Britain and Scotland. She also oversees quality control and co-ordinates the activities of 27 volunteers who visit FCW’s office to prepare materials and do extra stitching work.

Workshop and Commissions Co-ordinator
Hilda Sheppard trained at the Royal School of Needlework and went on to employment at London’s most specialist needlepoint shop, Tapisserie. Hilda now runs a Studio Workshop at HMP Wandsworth, where prisoners make up cushions and commissions on sewing machines. She also works 2 days per week at FCW’s office preparing specialist needlework commissions.

Design Co-ordinator and Administrator
Elena Hall has worked at Breast Cancer Care and Autism London and has also done charitable work in South America and taught crafts to children in Mexico. She is now co-ordinates FCW’s design, liaising with professional designers, project-managing big commissions, and continuing to co-ordinate administrative operations at FCW’s office.

Volunteer Co-ordinator
Kim Nightingale has worked in the Community Renewal department of Queensland Government in Australia and as a Policy Officer for Queensland Corrective Services, and has an extensive background in project and volunteer management. Her role is to co-ordinate Fine Cell Work’s operations in prisons, managing volunteers and prisoners and working with prison staff to expand Fine Cell Work’s remit in prisons. She is also our events co-ordinator.

PR Consultant (part-time)
Bridget Graham of BGPR Ltd. provided pro bono PR support for FCW for over 3 years. Her PR skills and interior design industry knowledge have raised our profile greatly, enabling Fine Cell Work’s message to be spread via broadcast media, national newspapers and design magazines. BGPR now provides PR support for us for a small retainer and continues to do pro bono work.

Accountant (part-time)
Paula Cairey is our part-time book-keeper and runs her own book-keeping bureau, Cairey Consultancy Ltd.

Intern (part-time)
Sophie Jordan has a degree Form Nottingham Trent University in social and cultural studies and has worked in the banking and corporate sectors. She has also volunteered in an administrative capacity for Fine Cell Work for the past year.

Volunteers

Fine Cell Work is heavily dependent on its volunteers, 57 of whom work at the coalface, giving instruction and support to inmates in prison. They are heroines, showing patience, tact and commitment. Many of these volunteers are members of the Embroiderer's Guild and have been taught at the Royal School of Needlework. The average length of time they remain volunteers is 7 years and our longest-serving volunteer has been teaching in prisons for 11 years.

Fine Cell Work also works with 26 volunteers who help making up needlework kits and doing extra stitching at the charity’s office

In 2008 we worked with 164 volunteers – this number includes prisoners helping as volunteers, volunteer designers and those who served on our events committees.

We could not in any sense function without these thousands of hours of volunteering, and deeply appreciate the spirit in which they are given.