The brilliant Footprints Project team. Left to right: Stuart, Amy, Helen, Cathie, Sharon and Caroline
FROM THE CEO
Welcome to the Autumn edition of your Footprints Project newsletter, The Gate. The back-to-school period always brings to mind new beginnings and fresh starts and the sense of enthusiasm for the future was palpable at our recent AGM. Twenty staff and volunteers came together to share their progress and talk about some of the incredible work going on behind the scenes here at the Project. Some highlights include the women of our Second Chances art group who have been busy making fresh starts of their own, creating and making beautiful items, now on sale in various locations across the region. Meanwhile our cooking scheme goes from strength to strength with four approved premises now offering our brilliantly practical cookery classes and qualifications to residents. There’s more about what we’ve been up to, and what’s to come, in this newsletter. And, as we look forward to the Footprints Project 20th anniversary in December, some details about how we plan to celebrate.
As always we are enormously grateful for your support.
Caroline.
Cakes made by residents at Weston approved premises in Weymouth for a recent Macmillan fundraiser
Happy 20th Birthday to The Footprints Project! 🎉🎉
December 4th, 2024 marks 20 years of The Footprints Project. We first began at the now-closed HMP Dorchester, helping those leaving the prison to re-settle successfully and creating safer communities for everyone. Today our work covers prisons and approved premises across Dorset and Hampshire, and we run a dedicated Womens Out of Court Diversionary Service. Like many charities, funding continues to be a huge challenge so we are excited to be launching our first-ever film-based fundraising appeal. We are working with the expert ethical film-makers at The Saltways and local film-maker Cameron Makin to create a truly impactful video and social media campaign and we hope everyone who cares about what we do will join us in sharing and posting all of our messaging. Watch this space for more details and please do follow us on Instagram and Facebook
Work by the Second Chances art group on sale in Beach & Barnicott, Bridport.
Shire Hall project: bringing together Dorset’s justice past and present
We are extremely proud to announce we will soon have a range of handmade items on sale at Shire Hall Museum in Dorchester. Everything has been designed and created exclusively by the women in our Second Chances art group, under the guidance of Dorset artist, Samantha March. Profits from all sales will go towards both Shire Hall and The Footprints Project, keeping the story of justice in Dorset alive and helping women in today’s justice system. Items go on sale November 8th, in time for all your Christmas shopping! Work by the women of the Second Chances group is also now on sale in Bridport at the wonderful Beach & Barnicott in South Street, a new presence for us in the town thanks to Helen.
Julia, a member of the Second Chances group said: ‘Coming to the art sessions makes me feel so much calmer. I can forget all my worries and feel proud of what I make.’
Stopping suicide in its tracks
In November we’re delivering 5,000 crisis plan leaflets into prisons in Dorset and Hampshire. These are small, wallet-sized cards designed to help people who are struggling with their mental health. They can be personalised with important contacts and reminders, and kept in a wallet or the back of a mobile phone case. As well as prisons they’re going to approved premises and to the people we support in the community, including the women on our Out of Court Diversionary Scheme. The project has been led by our Prisons Co-ordinator Stuart, and is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Signs of growth at the allotments in Hampshire. If you have green fingers and can spare some time get in touch!
Growing and cooking
We’re now delivering cookery classes in four approved premises across Dorset and Hampshire. Led by our Out reach Co-ordinators Amy (Hampshire) and Cathie (Dorset), these classes aim to teach people about budgeting and the importance of a nutritious diet while giving them some easy, affordable recipes to cook from scratch. Some residents can also gain an NVQ level 2 Food Hygiene qualification, giving them a qualification should they wish to work in catering later on.
Meanwhile, volunteers at the Grange and Dickson House approved premises in Hamsphire recently hosted a couple of community volunteering days with participants from Zurich Insurance. Together they built a new fruit cage and compost bins and cleared an old glass house, ending the day with a BBQ incorporating produce from the garden. We are always interested in hearing from businesses who want to hold volunteer sessions for their staff, please do get in touch if you’d like to get involved.
Handy volunteers needed!
Have you got green fingers or are you a dab hand with a saw? We are very keen to hear from any supporters who can help at the allotments and/or our soon-to-be re-opened woodwork sheds for a couple of hours a week. This is a Hampshire based volunteering opportunity. Email caroline@footprintsproject.co.uk
