Greater Manchester Probation Trust

Community Payback in Wigan

Offenders Help Run Summer Fashion Show for Charity
 
OFFENDERS helped run a summer fashion show aimed at raising cash for the Sue Ryder health and social care charity.
The event, which was hosted at the Worsley Mesnes Club, Rushdene, involved volunteers and people on Community Payback featuring on the catwalk
.
They modelled clothes loaned by Linda Hamilton, who runs the charity’s Pemberton shop in Olmskirk Road.
Members of the public paid to watch the show, and clothes, jewellery and shoes were also on sale, as were raffle tickets.
Linda said: "The fashion show went really well, it’s helped raise some money and has also shown that you can look great for summer wearing clothes that don’t cost the earth.
"I’ve worked with offenders on Community Payback for more than a decade and I love doing it, they are among some of my favourite staff and I find they are tremendously committed.
"During the past 10 years I’ve only had a couple of bad experiences, the vast majority never let me down and do a fantastic job."
The audience included members of an elderly person’s luncheon club that meets at the venue on a regular basis and is staffed by offenders supervised by Wigan probation.
Richard Gillespie, 22, is completing his Community Payback order and helped cook food for the elderly persons’ club before donning a suit and participating in the charity event.
He said: "It’s a punishment because obviously this is taking up my free time, but I am getting something positive out of this because I can see the benefit it is giving to the community."
Jean Heaton, Community Payback Supervisor, manages offenders participating in the luncheon club and helped run the fashion show.
She added: "Community Payback is a punishment for breaking the law, rigorously supervised and enforced by probation.
"It is also a way for offenders to make up to the community for the harm they have done, and events like the ones we have run today illustrate the benefits the work brings to the people of Wigan."
 
Rugby Legend Awards Offenders
 

FORMER Wigan Rugby League great Andy Gregory handed out certificates to offenders who have completed educational courses.

The scrum half, who made 26 appearances for Great Britain, played for the town from 1989 until 1992.

Andy gave certificates to two offenders who completed NVQs, and handed out certificates to four more who are working towards the qualification. The NVQs, in cooking and catering, are run inconjunction with City College.

Offenders are given the chance to study while carrying out unpaid work sentences staffing a luncheon club for the elderley, under supervision of the town’s Community Payback Unit.

Andy, who is now a consultant for construction firm Hughes Brothers, said: “A lot of us do daft things in our lives, if it wasn’t for rugby I could have ended up in real trouble. It’s crucial to give people a second chance.

“It’s brilliant that offenders work here and help provide a place where the elderly can meet each other and enjoy a chat, and it’s great that through this scheme some are giving education another go.”

The offenders cook two-course meals from Monday to Thursday in the Upper Morris Street Working Men’s Club, in School Street.

Mum-of-two Naomi Carruthers, who works in catering, received her NVQ Level 2 certificate from Andy.

She said: “I loved getting the chance to study, I learnt about food hygiene, preparation and about good customer service.

“I got pregnant when I was 16 and didn’t do well at school, I’ve never had the opportunity to go to college until now and it’s really made me want to do more. The tutor Liz Sutcliffe was fantastic.”

Jane Frappola, Community Payback Officer, said: “We are delighted Andy gave up his time to see the work we do, meet the beneficiaries and hand out certificates.

“We run courses to help get people back into education and improve their employment potential, that’s one of the best ways to stop people re-offending.”

The luncheon club was started by Greater Manchester Probation Trust in 1983 and has become a permanent fixture in the lives of scores of people, all aged over-50, who pay just £3 per meal.

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