Julia and Hans Rausing said: “We are pleased to be able to support The Clink Charity as it rolls out its Clink Kitchens programme across so many more prisons.
“The Charity has a built a brilliant track record over the last 11 years providing people with new opportunities and qualifications that can genuinely turn their lives around and in turn reduce reoffending rates.”
Christopher Moore, chief executive of The Clink Charity, commented: “Through the generosity of Julia and Hans Rausing and grant-maintaining trusts and philanthropists, we are able to roll out The Clink Kitchens project over the next three years to 70 prisons in England and Wales which will enable us to continue to repair society.
“The Clink, in partnership with HMPPS, changes attitudes, transforms lives and creates second chances by training serving prisoners during their sentence and then helping them reintegrate back into society, employment and accommodation upon release.
“Reoffending remains one of the most pressing challenges facing society today.”
Supported by HMPPS, The Clink will now be able to deliver training for up up to 2,000 men and women in prisons to help them achieve qualifications in hospitality and gain employment upon release. Having a regular job has been proven to dramatically reduce reoffending.
The Clink Kitchens is the latest programme developed by The Clink Charity as part of its integrated rehabilitation programme (CIRP).
The training programme will be delivered in the main prison kitchens by Clink Kitchens trainers and assessors, who are all hospitality industry professionals.
Headed by Gregg Brown, director of training, who is working alongside operations director Jane Sanderson, the course will be available for prisoners to volunteer for training while working in the prison kitchens preparing and cooking over 80,000 hot meals a day for their fellow prisoners.
The programme remains with the student at every stage of their training, from working with students on the inside to meeting graduates at the gate upon release. Under it The Clink Charity ensures each Clink Graduate is supported in the community for a minimum of 12 months.
The Clink will be able to increase the number of students in training daily from 220 to 800 a day, all of them in the last six to 18 months of their sentences.
Upon release they are placed into full time employment and accommodation.
Recent independent research conducted by the Justice Data Lab and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in July 2019 stated that prisoners participating in The Clink Charity’s CIRP training programme are 32% less likely to reoffend than those who did not go through the programme.
Pro Bono Economics (PBE) published an economic impact report in June 2020 that revealed that The Clink Charity’s prisoner training programme delivers an outstanding return on investment. For every £1 invested, The Clink is likely to generate at least £4.80 back to the prison service, government and society in reduced reoffending rates as a result of its CIRP programme.
The hospitality industry skills shortage The hospitality industry is the 4th largest employer of labour in the UK (6m people) and there is a major skills shortage.
Over the last month Clink Kitchens training has started to be delivered at HMP Bristol, HMP Styal, HMP Eastwood Park, HMP Brixton and HMP Downview.
The Clink is actively recruiting chef trainers and support workers over the next three months in order for Clink Kitchens to start training at the next 18 prisons. This will take the number of Clink Kitchens Training programmes to 24 by the end of 2021. There are another 36 sites being planned for 2022.
Hans Rausing’s grandfather Ruben Rausing founded the food-packaging giant Tetra Pak.