Thomasina Miers shot into the public eye as the winner of MasterChef in 2005. She has since gone on to open 19 Wahaca restaurants across the UK, as well as a mobile street food kitchen.
Miers said: “I think The Clink is the most wonderful charity, giving people in prison a vocation, lifting them out of cycles of re-offending and treating them as real people with skills to develop. I hope that I can bring a spotlight on what they do – and encourage others to create similar charities in other sectors of employment.
The Clink Restaurant at HMP Styal trains women prisoners working towards accredited NVQs in food preparation and food management and like all The Clink Restaurants is open to the public.
The HMP Styal site is the first to operate within a women’s prison and the opening marks a significant milestone in the charity’s growth as it moves into prisons in the north of England.
Chris Moore, chief executive of The Clink Charity says, “Our goal is to educate and rehabilitate prisoners with in-depth training and help them to secure employment upon their release. Having someone of Thomasina’s calibre, experience and incredible passion as an ambassador will inspire the women in training to achieve their goal of gaining their qualifications and securing employment.”
The Clink currently has four restaurants in operation and is targeting 10 openings by the end of 2017.