Guernsey's Creative Learning in Prison initiative is building vocational skills, improving employment chances and reducing reoffending among prisoners, according to the volunteers behind the award-winning charity.
CLIP has been honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, which is the highest recognition a voluntary group can receive in the UK.
CLIP was first established in 2013 to promote creative, meaningful and productive activities for prisoners. It has expanded significantly over the years to provide an increasing number of educational opportunities for prisoners that help them to find employment upon release.
"We are delighted that the work of CLIP has been recognised in this way," CLIP Chairman Iain Stokes said of the QVS award, which has been announced today.
Pictured: Vegetables from the prison gardens are sold outside Les Nicolles.
"I would like to pay tribute to the hard work and commitment of all our volunteers, particularly my fellow board members, Andrew Ozanne OBE and Jurat Jonathan Hooley, without whose drive and passion the development of CLIP would not have been possible.”
Neither would that journey have been possible, said Mr Stokes, without the support from the Guernsey public.
"CLIP has benefitted from charitable grants and generous public donations, allowing amongst other developments, the construction of a new carpentry workshop for prisoners who are able to learn new skills and gain City & Guilds qualifications under the supervision of a committed team of prison officers."
Their wares are always on-sale through the on-site CLIP retail outlets. The prisoners have undertaken and contributed to numerous community projects over the years.
Pictured: One of the benches at La Vallette built by prisoners through the CLIP initiative.
These include the reading tree at the Guille-Alles library; the benches at La Vallette; mud kitchens and reading chairs for schools and pre-schools; and planters for parish douzaines.
Representatives of CLIP will receive the award crystal and certificate from His Excellency The Lieutenant-Governor, on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, at a reception on Saturday 12 June 12.
Pictured top: Three board members of CLIP LBG - Jurat Jonathan Hooley, Iain Stokes and Andrew Ozanne OBE - in the recently-constructed CLIP workshop at Guernsey Prison.
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