Last week we brought together 36 people from 23 different organisations who have worked with us through Bullingdon Community Connections.
We shared some exciting news, took stock of four years of progress and explored ideas for the future.
Hosted at the wonderful Modern Art Oxford, Josh and Berny shared how they got the programme up and running and have built a model that can be used by other prisons. We heard from Modern Art Oxford and The Old Fire Station about the creative and ambitious purposeful activities they delivered at Bullingdon.
Some highlights also included hearing from former prisoner Joe as he shared his direct experience of participating in the Bullingdon Community Connections project: “Nobody in jail is not a human being. You have to develop a philosophy of survival… Chess was so important to me in prison. I’d played since I was little boy. The culture of prison chess is so interesting. Everyone respects the game and understands where they go wrong… For some, Community Connections is an event in the week but for others it really changes the course of their life.”
We also heard about The Departure Lounge which has seen 1,300 prisoners pass through it on their release from HMP Bullingdon. The Departure Lounge offers them access to support outside prison and as Josh eloquently explained “Everyone needs someone.”
We’d like to thank all the local organisations in Oxfordshire’s community and voluntary sector who have been involved and we look forward to continuing our involvement in this project.
If you would like to know more, or are able to offer an activity, read more on our website.
