Shropshire inmates help club get into ship-shape

And now things are on the up as, in its 30th year, everything is getting ship-shape again, thanks to help from an unexpected quarter.

Inmates from Stoke Heath Prison, near Market Drayton, grabbed paintbrushes and spruced up the building as part of their rehabilitation.

"It's absolutely marvellous," said club secretary Mrs Pat Brown. "It's given the club a complete new lease of life. The outside looks wonderful now and more inviting. Before, it was shabby.

"This year we are going to celebrate 30 years of opening, and to have it all spruced up will be very nice for the celebrations.

"We are lucky to be here because we were in danger of shutting down through lack of support and spiralling overheads. We have recruited some more people on the committee and had more functions, trying to book the rooms. We have opened a Facebook page to do a lot of networking, which seems to have helped.

"We all love the club. A lot of our members are of a more mature generation so are not able to help practically. We do still have a couple of World War Two veterans who are now over 90 years young. They still like to 'do their bit' but really are not physically able to do repair work and maintenance any more.

"I had seen something in the Shropshire Star which said that the prisoners from Stoke Heath, as part of their rehabilitation programme, were learning a trade and would go into the local community and undertake work for free. We had a meeting with their outreach officer Ivan Carlin and compiled a rather large list of maintenance work and jobs that needed doing. He was absolutely delighted to say they would be happy to help us.

"While they are in Stoke Heath they learn a trade – decorating, gardening, carpentry, plumbing, electrics and that kind of stuff. I believe it's quite rewarding for them to come into the community."

A working party from Stoke Heath of five adult inmates, plus a supervising officer, began a week's work at the club on September 14.

"We pay for all of the materials and supply all the tools they need, and they supply all the labour, free of charge. We have to supply them with a light meal at lunchtime. Travis Perkins have helped us with some materials and Jaspers, a bakery in Newport, have given us a discount on the food we provided for the prisoners at lunchtime."

The inmates did various outdoor projects during the week such as painting the building's exterior wall, revarnishing benches, and gardening.

Pat said: "The club has been open for 30 years. We lease the club and don't own it, but we have responsibility for all of the maintenance of the building, inside and out. The club is all run by volunteers, the only paid person being the club steward.

"We have 116 members and have been through troubled waters. This time last year we were on the point of closing down. A lot of dedicated people have worked really hard to pick everything back up. Touchwood, at the moment we are doing quite well."

After working on the exterior, a team from Stoke Heath will return in the winter to turn its attention to the interior.