Meet The Clink: the charity helping prisoners through Hospitality training

The Clink is a UK charity which has been working in partnership with Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service for the past 11 years to deliver training projects focused on hospitality and catering. The charity aims to help prisoners to improve existing skills aw well as gain new ones in preparation for the outside world. The charity currently runs 11 training projects including 4 restaurants, 3 gardens, 3 kitchens and 1 events catering business, all of which use their Five Step Integrated Programme (Recruit, Train, Support, find Employment and Mentor) to ensure that trainees receive the support they need both while in prison as well as after their release to help them reintegrate back into society and fulltime employment.

1. The gardens

The Clink Gardens are located at Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) High Down for men and HMP Send for women, both in Surrey in the south of England. The gardens enable prisoners to work and gain experience whilst also achieving a recognised qualification in Horticulture. Additionally, the product of their efforts, the salad, fruit, vegetables, herbs and eggs produced from the gardens, are delivered daily to the Clink’s restaurants where they are served up in delicious meals.

2. The kitchens

In February 2018 The Clink set up three Clink Kitchens pilot sites at HMP Bristol, HMP Risley and HMP Styal. Following their great success, in February this year they announced plans to expand the Clink Kitchens integrated training programme to 70 prisons in England and Wales over the next three years. The Clink Kitchens is the latest programme developed by the charity as part of their Clink Integrated Rehabilitation Program (CIRP) and is driving the training and shaping the work experience for individuals looking to enter the hospitality industry. The programme involves accredited training in Food Preparation and Cookery within the existing prison kitchens, and following the expansion of the project The Clink will deliver training for up to 2,000 men and women in prisons, enabling them to achieve qualifications in hospitality and gain employment upon release, proven to dramatically reduce reoffending.

3. The restaurants

The Clink restaurants offer delicious, high-quality meals at four different locations around the UK Brixton, Cardiff, High Down and Styal. Unfortunately due to the economic circumstances brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic the Clink café in Manchester was forced to close last year. All meals at the Clink restaurants are cooked and served by the trainees who are working towards gaining their Food & Beverage Service, Professional Cookery and Food Hygiene qualifications. During the closure of hospitality services due to Covid-19 restrictions in the UK, The Clink restaurants also delivered meals in their Clink @ Home campaign. Food products and cookbooks are also sold online on their website both during and outside of the pandemic.

4. Event Catering

The Clink also provides bespoke catering outside of the prison, giving trainees the opportunity to gain experience in event catering. Food is prepared by serving prisoners training for their Professional Cookery qualifications in the central production training kitchen at HMP Downview, and delivered to events in refrigerated vehicles. Service staff, made up of graduates of The Clink’s training schemes and disadvantaged people, are given intensive training and support in order to achieve a Hospitality qualification. This education and work experience equips staff with self-confidence and the skills and ability to serve guests efficiently and professionally, whilst providing employment and helping to integrate ex-prisoners back into society and reduce reoffending.