Another welcome return to HMP Gartree! Anne Frank Prison exhibition - June 2015

Zion Lion of A Wing, HMP Gartree, soap, Sculpture. Image: Courtesy of the Koestler Trust

Another welcome return to HMP Gartree after several years. HMP Gartree is a Category B prison in Harborough -Market.

  

The exhibition was situated in a large modern workshop – central to the prison with very good access for all the prisoners to visit the event.

 A group of 15 prisoners had volunteered to act as our guides for the exhibition and after a day of intensive training were ready to a steer the visitors through the exhibition and to explain the story of Anne Frank and why it still has relevance in today’s world.

One of the guides (as sometimes happens) had volunteered for this work having been a guide in recent years at another establishment in the UK.The exhibition had a great many visitors, and on the last day, was extremely well attended by prisoners, staff and some outside visitors.

Mrs Eva Clarke was our guest speaker at the closing event and was very well received by the audience. Eva told the story of how she was one of the few babies to be born in a concentration camp during the last days of WW2. A miraculous story of survival against all the odds.

The Governor Mrs Ali Barker was most gracious in thanking Eva for coming there to speak and to say how much she had been affected by her story. This was made even more poignant because Governor Barker is herself pregnant and soon to give birth.

Many thanks to everyone concerned. Lindsay Beadnall and Verity Smith (Diversity & Equality) and to Bill Newton Deputy Governor for making the event go so smoothly.

HMP Peterborough welcome the Anne Frank Exhibition again. June 2015

Binds,The Ayr Clinic, PiC, Scotland, photographic print on paper, Photography. Image: Courtesy of the Koestler Trust 

Men’s prison May – June 2015

A much welcome return to HMP Peterborough after 3 years.

We started the first week of the event in the men’s side of the prison, and set up the Anne Frank exhibition on ‘Main Street’, a large space in which all prisoners pass through on most days. A perfect place to open up our exhibition to its full length.

An interested and very capable group of prisoners worked with me, and interestingly enough, a couple of the men had worked with me previously in other Gaols.

A slow start – but gradually interest grew and on the last days there were lots of people coming on the tours to see what was going on.

 Women’s prison June 2015

‘Main Street’ in the women’s prison is exactly the same as in the men’s side of the prison, and so once again we set up the exhibition there.

The group of women that volunteered to be our guides were a wonderful group to work with, and were extremely enthusiastic about the project. They did a wonderful job in presenting the exhibition to fellow prisoners and staff.

The highlight of this event was the talk from Dr Eva Schloss who spoke of her own incarceration in a concentration camp and about the Holocaust. It was magnificently inspirational, and the women (100 of them) showed their appreciation by giving Eva, two standing ovations. It was a beautiful moment, and Eva was extremely touched by this.

The closing day was a celebration of the Guides achievements over the week, and were all presented with Anne Frank books and certificates as a gesture of appreciation for their hard work and commitment to the project.

Later that day I was kindly introduced to Mr Michael Gove (the new Justice Minister) by long -time supporter of our work, HMP Peterborough’s Governor Nick Leader.

Mr Gove was very interested to see our exhibition and hear about all the work we have been recently been doing in prisons, and was also very pleased to hear how well the event had been received at HMP Peterborough.

Many thanks to Governor Nick Leader for his support and to Mr Tony Ryan for organising this very special event

HMYOI Werrington hosts the Anne Frank Exhibition March – April 2015

Man Who Couldn't Smile, HMYOI Thorn Cross, acrylic and ink on paper, Pietro Crocioni Commended Award for Printmaking. Image: Courtesy of the Koestler Trust

A welcome return to HMYOI Werrington this year.

We felt we were really getting our message over to the young lads there on this visit. It was a really good reaction!

Although we only had three lads to present the exhibition, they presented it extremely well. One of the Guides really came out of himself whilst doing this and all staff who knew him commented on the positive transformation.

*It is often not very easy to keep the attention of young men in these institutions, as most people will tell you - but on this occasion they were very attentive.

The team led by Clair Reynolds did a great job, and I was extremely grateful to see again the good work that is done in HMYOI Werrington, and the level of professionalism and commitment shown to the lads from the staff.

Susi Bechoffer was our special guest speaker and told the story of her search for her true Identity, and the choices that she had to make as she grew up in an adopted family in a foreign country – England. Everyone very much appreciated her talk.

Special thanks again to Clair and the team for making this such a memorable event.

Anne Frank Prison exhibition in HMP Kirkham

Book of Dreams,HMP Bronzefield,cardboard, newspaper, tissue paper,glue and foam, Gold Award for Hand-made Books : Image Courtesy of The Koestler Trust

Another event was hosted in March this year.

HMP Kirkham is fairly remote. Situated outside of Preston and with very infrequent transport and taxis.It is an open prison, where the population are given access to Education and Skills as well as working outside in the community prior to their release.

The prisoner guides were a nice bunch of guys who really succeeded in putting the exhibition across to all the visitors. They were the ones who really shined in this environment as they were able to organise this in their own way, and made sure that everyone understood Anne’s story and how it related to modern events.

It was decided that the best time to host the Guest speaker was after the event so that the optimum number of staff and prisoners would be able to attend this event on April 8^th. Our guest speaker Eric Cohen came highly recommended. It was the first prison that Eric had ever spoken in, and everyone remarked how well his talk had been received at the prison.

Many thanks to all concerned and to Governor Graham Beck for all his support

A History for Today exhibition at HMP Norwich

Boss?, HMP Everthorpe, oil on canvas, Painting. Image: Courtesy of The Koestler Trust 

We were invited to bring our exhibition to HMP Norwich during February and March, and a very interesting event it was.

Week one, the exhibition was in the main closed prison, and the second was re-sited in the Local Dispersal Unit which is just outside of the main prison. Although still on the same site it feels like a totally separate gaol.

The first week, the exhibition was presented by a group of men from the prison, who did it really well. At the end of the event we presented the men with Books and certificates to mark their achievements and also to celebrate the positive things that are done inside Norwich prison.

The organiser of the event was Head of Learning and Skills Linda Cosham , and supported by her colleague Dawn Roe did a great job. Many thanks for all their help with the event throughout.

The second week,We set up the exhibition in the LDU unit, a separate group of inmates were trained from the unit to present the exhibition to prisoners and staff, and although quite a small group they did a wonderful job in conveying the message of the exhibition.

Mrs Eva Clarke was wonderful, and spoke in both establishments in one day. This must have been a very exhausting schedule for her, and we are very grateful to her for all her hard work.

This was the first time that we had been to HMP Norwich and we look forward to returning again soon.

Anne Frank Exhibition at HMP Rye Hill

I'll Show You What Cuts Are, HMP Brixton, acrylic on canvas, Nick Le Mesurier

Commended Award for Painting. Image: Courtesy of The Koestler Trust

The first Anne Frank Prison event in 2015 took us to HMP Rye Hill near Rugby.

 A privately run Gaol by G4S, mostly taking longer serving prisoners. Once again we had a very knowledgeable group of volunteer guides, some of whom had visited concentration camps in Germany and Eastern Europe.

Equality Officer Mr Craig Jordan organised the event to great effect, and the closing event was made even more memorable by our guest speaker and Author Susi Bechhofer, talking about her personal journey to discover her true identity. The audience asked Susi many interesting questions about her life, and it was a very revealing and interesting session.

One prisoner memorably said to Susi – “You wanted to find out about your past - most of us here, want to forget ours”

 Well done to everyone for making this event such a success - We hope to return to HMP Rye Hill soon