Prisoners have given life to the image of Newport’s Cottage Care Centre – by designing banners and polo shirts to promote its lottery.
The new designs will be on show at every promotional event, starting with the centre’s plant sale on Saturday May 21.
The prisoners are two men doing a graphics course at Onley Prison near Rugby, and their involvement has come about through Cottage Care trustee Don Shaw, who was a former governor of Onley Prison.
Mr Shaw had maintained contact with Mick Smith, an instructional officer who runs a printing and graphics workshop at the prison.
Knowing the prison liked to involve prisoners in real projects, he asked whether some might like to design promotional material for the Cottage Care Centre.
Mr Smith said: “The workshops teach our trades to prisoners with a view to rehabilitation to give them opportunities so they do not reoffend.
“I run a new IT initiative for training in printing and graphics. Don approached me and I was happy to do something on behalf of Newport Cottage Care Centre.
“We do carry out work for charities. We absorb the cost and pay for the materials.”
The two prisoners – Trevor Darvill, aged 38, and Matt Forrest, aged 35 - designed the logos for three promotional banners and 15 polo shirts.
Mr Smith said they both benefited from the experience. “It was a week’s work and they worked very hard on it. It was a superb professional job, very impressive.”
Prisoner Darvill said he would not have considered doing the advanced training he is now completing without the experience of the Cottage Care project.
Prisoner Forrest said he was glad he could do real training with real skills that employers will recognise, rather than just qualifications.
Governor of HMP and Youth offenders Institution Onley Robin Eldridge said: “I am glad to maintain good links with the community and charities, and to highlight the good work that goes on in prisons.”
The promotional banners will be seen in all their glory at Newport Show where they will be displayed on the Cottage Care marquee.
The banners and polo shirts will draw the public’s attention to the Cottage Care Centre’s lottery for which tickets for the year cost £12, and prizes of £100, £50, £20 and £10 are offered each month. Proceeds go towards the upkeep of the centre, which cares for 30 elderly people on a daily basis.
