Designed by Jo Thompson, the Glasshouse Garden, celebrates the women of The Glasshouse, a social enterprise that trains female prisoners in horticulture at the end of their prison sentences and helps prepare them for release with essential employment opportunities and resettlement support.
After the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the garden will be recreated at HMP Downview and is expected to be ready in July this year. This will be the second site in a prison setting for The Glasshouse, following its work with female prisoners at HMP East Sutton Park in Kent.
“The Glasshouse Garden will make a massive impact for the women in custody at HMP & YOI Downview, and for our hardworking staff. Women preparing for release will have regular access to the garden for planning their future and meeting their resettlement team, as well as training and support. This special garden will provide inspiration and hope for women in an anxious and overwhelming time. In addition, the garden will be part of the horticulture programme, where women in training can learn whilst they maintain the space. We are so excited to add this beautiful space to our Downview community and we are so grateful to The Glasshouse, Jo Thompson and Project Giving Back for such a promising and meaningful gift,” said Amy Dixon, Governor of both HMP Downview and HMP East Sutton Park.
The Glasshouse trains women to grow houseplants which are sold directly online, as well as in their work installing and maintaining plants in corporate environments for companies including Francis Crick, C Hoare Bank, and The Conduit. For those graduating from The Glasshouse programme, the re-offending rate drops to zero, which is remarkable, considering that the outcomes are normally poor for women, with an average re-offending rate of 58%.
“The Glasshouse mission is focused on giving purpose through work and building self-belief through horticulture. This combination has led to our high rate of success and viable second chances for women working hard to find a better way of life. We aim to increase our impact, offering training and work in more female prisons around the UK and creating more second chances through horticulture,” explained, Kali Hamerton-Stove, co-founder of The Glasshouse.
“My first meeting with the women of The Glasshouse was possibly one of the most thought-provoking days of my life. Whatever happened, I was going to pour my heart and soul into designing a garden for these women, a garden which would be for them as well as represent them. A garden that would encourage people to think about what second chances can mean – for the individual women but also for our society as a whole. We can’t expect outcomes to change if a woman does not have somewhere stable to live, returns to a violent relationship, or is unemployable through lack of training,” said Jo Thompson.
A graduate of The Glasshouse programme said: “It’s rare these days to meet truly compassionate individuals who simply wish to see you thrive with no hidden agenda. Many of us have experienced abuse and struggle trusting people, I lost my confidence and suffered with anxiety. Having such resilient women offer their support when I was at my lowest has saved me in more ways than they will ever know.”
The Glasshouse garden has been funded by Project Giving Back, the grant-giving charity that supports gardens for good causes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
.
