Criminals at one of Scotland’s toughest jails have helped make the festive season that little bit brighter for the residents of an Ayrshire village.
A group of prisoners at HMP Barlinnie used their carpentry skills and made 10 wooden benches which are now in situ at various locations around Monkton.
And the verdict on Monkton’s latest addition? It’s an emphatic thumbs-up!
Behind the scheme is Monkton Community Council, the prisoners themselves at HMP Barlinnie and the South Ayrshire Community Payback Team, who all joined forces to make the project a reality.
Harry Middleditch, chair of Monkton Community Council, explained the background to the project.
He said: “We now have 10 of the benches in total and they are installed around the village. This all started around two and a half years ago when it was first mooted to the community council.
“Several people approached us saying the village could do with some benches, so when a mutual friend of the community council told us that there was a scheme, whereby we could get the benches from HMP Barlinnie, we got the ball rolling in terms of grant funding.
“We also managed to get the benches painted so they are dementia friendly too.
“Through the grant we managed to get all the benches VAT free as a one-off payment. We also got some funding for the painting, including the fitting. They are bolted to concrete. They’re excellent and a real benefit to the community. People can sit watching the planes and the world go by.
“Dean Barlas, from the Community Payback team, came in with his team and put them in the locations for us. We can’t thank them enough and, of course, the people who made them at HMP Barlinnie.”
The colourful benches are now at various locations including The Cross, Station Road, near the old cemetery, in the Main Street, at the school and playing fields and one on the road out to Adamton Estate.
Harry revealed that work to make at least two of the benches disabled friendly will be undertaken in the new year.
He added: “The Community Payback team were excellent. They put the concrete blocks down and came back to put them in. It’s fantastic. We are very proud and this is what we are all about at the community council. If people come up with a worthwhile idea then we’ll absolutely work on them.”
Dean Barlas, a justice services officer, manages the day to day running of the unpaid work teams for the whole of South Ayrshire.
And he was delighted to step in to assist on a project that had two elements of the criminal justice system working hand in hand for the benefit of the community.
Dean said: “The benches themselves were made up at HMP Barlinnie and we helped out with fitting them. My day to day job is to manage the unpaid work teams. Essentially, my job is to try to find jobs for those who are ordered to carry out unpaid work in the community.
“When I took on the post here I went round the community councils and told them about the type of services we provide and said to them ‘please bear us in mind if you have a project’.
“Then Harry got in touch with me and it was pure coincidence that you have two different elements of the criminal justice system working together and I quite liked the idea of it.
“You have boys up at Barlinnie and you have us, the community payback team, book ending it, if you will. We went for a walk round the village and it was definitely within our capabilities.
“It’s important for me to find worthwhile jobs for the guys on community payback orders here. Sometimes projects have an immediate and positive impact on the community and this was certainly one of them.
“All in all it took about a week to finish the work in terms of fixing them to the ground, then painting them and the benches look terrific.”
Dean added: “Part of the whole ethos is paying back to the community and trying to take people out of the cycle of committing crimes, it’s about trying to get the positive message across and we were very happy to get involved.”
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “This was an excellent project for people in our care to be involved in and we are delighted Ayrshire residents are enjoying their new benches.
“This type of work allows people to build skills and confidence, while also making a contribution to the communities they will one day return to.”
If your group has an idea about a project the South Ayrshire Community Payback Team could get involved in then e-mail [email protected]
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