Howard League Award for Forestry Commission for unique partnership project

The Forestry Commission received a prestigious award yesterday (24 July) in recognition of its work to harness the power of nature to benefit offenders.

The groundbreaking Offenders and Nature schemes received an Outstanding Schemes award by the Howard League for Penal Reform in the Community Programmes Awards 2007. The Forestry Commission has worked with Natural England and the Ministry of Justice to develop and support Offenders and Nature schemes, which involve offenders in vital forest conservation and maintenance work as part of their community or custodial sentence.

To date more than 1000 offenders have been involved in Forestry Commission projects across the country working with many probation areas, prisons and young offenders’ institutes, but it is the work at Bedgebury in Kent, which has been highlighted in the Award.

The Forestry Commission has been working with Kent Probation Area since 2004, and hosts work parties of offenders for several days of the week. The teams, supervised by Kent Probation Community Payback and FC staff, help with forest management work at Bedgebury's National Pinetum - the World's leading collection of conifers set in 130 hectares of the High Weald of Kent. Results achieved include the clearing of 8-10 hectares of invasive rhododendron, as well as refurbishing community facilities on site.

However, it is the benefits that offenders get out of the work which are the real results. Lord Clark of Windermere, Chairman of the Forestry Commission, said:

“We are proud and pleased that the Offenders and Nature Schemes have been given recognition. It is a significant and progressive area of work for the Forestry Commission, and shows the value of giving people the opportunity to acquire new skills, to work together, and to be involved in creating important and safe places for wildlife and local people to enjoy. We can not underestimate the benefits that such positive opportunities and restorative experiences provide."

“Our country’s trees and woodlands are a valuable resource, and they offer opportunities and solutions to many social challenges in unique and inspiring ways; this fantastic partnership with the Forestry Commission, Natural England, and the Ministry of Justice working together is just one example of where we are making a real difference.”

A growing body of research supports the positive effects that contact with nature can have on both physical and mental health and on reducing anti-social behaviour. These projects also tackle a number of factors known to increase the risk of re-offending by equipping offenders with life and work skills and improving health and wellbeing.

Hilary James, Chief Officer, Kent Probation Area, said: "This project is a tremendous example of partnership working which contributes to reducing re-offending and enables offenders to improve the environment while paying back for the crimes they have committed."

In terms of projects on the ground, the benefits are clearly felt by those involved in the schemes. For example, Chris Reynolds, curator at Bedgebury, has worked closely with the parties over the last few years. He said:

"Working with the lads and lasses has at times been challenging but overall a hugely rewarding experience. Of course there have been offenders who have not wanted to be involved, or had never worked as part of a team, but with encouragement and support you can often turn this around. Jobs such as clearing and burning scrub can be hard but with a positive approach can give everyone a real sense of focus and achievement, and the enjoyment of working as part of a real team. All the work done enhances the conservation value of the Pinetum. Opening new areas allows the development of natural habitats and we have seen an increase in butterflies, dragonflies and birds like the Turtle Dove and Nightjar. Everything they do has a positive impact not just for our native species but also the rare and endangered conifers from all over the world that make Bedgebury Pinetum such a unique place. Long may our partnership continue."

Other Forestry Commission Offenders and Nature Schemes

In the South West of England a project is running in Dartmoor with Category C prisoners from Dartmoor Prison. A unique partnership between HMP Dartmoor and the Forestry Commission has given low risk offenders the opportunity to improve and enhance local woodlands as part of a pre-release resettlement programme. The three stage pilot project has been developed alongside prison officers, and, prisoners themselves to offer participants invaluable skills, mentoring and work experience that will contribute towards a smoother transition back into community life. By improving their employment prospects, increasing their confidence and reducing the possibility of re-offending upon release, the scheme is making a real difference to the offenders' life opportunities.

By March 2006 nine prisoners had taken part in the project and been released. Of these, eight are now in full time employment, some in the outdoor environmental sector e.g. running a gardening business, working in tree surgery, and the fishing and water industries.

A scheme has also been operating for many years at the National Arboretum, Westonbirt with Gloucestershire Probation Services. There are 3 work parties each week with up to 6 participants carrying out woodland management work that otherwise would not be done.

In South East of England there are schemes with Probation Service Teams at Basingstoke and Aldershot. At the same time, a partnership between the West Hill Resettlement Unit of HMP Winchester and the Forestry Commission has enabled pre-release offenders to participate in an ‘Offenders and Nature’ initiative. Working at local woodland sites in South West Hampshire, offenders gain technical knowledge, invaluable life skills and work experience, while helping to enhance the natural environment for local communities to enjoy.
Participation in this scheme will significantly contribute towards a successful re-integration back into community life and reduce the chances of re-offending. Participants reported improvements to their fitness levels, a sense of well-being and better sleeping patterns; they enjoy being outdoors and feel happier ‘doing something worthwhile’.

In the East Midlands region offenders from young offenders’ institutes and probation services attend regular work groups at Rockingham and Kesteven forests in Northamptonshire. The Forestry Commission is looking to develop this project, and considering mountain bike courses, anti-drugs workshops and related training facilities in partnership with the Northamptonshire Young Offenders Team.

Schemes also operate at Sherwood Forest with adult probationers and Young Offender Teams from Nottinghamshire, and with Leicestershire Youth Offender Team in Sence Valley Forest Park.

In the West Midlands, a scheme has been running since 2004 at Rosliston Forestry Centre where groups of 10-15 probationers help with woodland conservation work, general maintenance, weeding, strimming, mowing, painting and building repairs. Since 2005 West Mercia Probation Service in Herefordshire collaborates with FC to carry out work at Queenswood, Haugh Wood and Frith Wood.

In the East of England there are schemes with Norfolk Probation Service at High Ash Wood, and Sandlings Forest (with Hollesley Prison and YOI Warren Hill). Working groups started this February at Wendover Woodland Park near Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, with Thames Valley Probation Service where 3-6 people at a time aged between 17 and 50 carry out conservation work. About 40 people have taken part to date.

In the North West of England the Forestry Commission is working with Natural England and the National Trust to set up a pilot project with Haverigg Prison, a Catergory C prison in Cumbria to carry out conservation and forest management tasks.

For more information please contact Jo Fowler, Forestry Commission England Press Officer on 01223 346034 or 07833 672903,

Notes to Editors:
1. A publication about the Offenders and Nature Scheme has been produced by Forest Research - the research agency of the Forestry Commission. A copy of this is available from the Press Office. Media wishing to talk to any of those involved in the scheme, should contact Jo Fowler on 01223 346 034.

2. A copy of the Howard League press release announcing the winners, and further information about the Community Awards is available from Andrew Neilson at andrew@howardleague.org.

3. In any given week, around 1,000 offenders (the equivalent of an average-sized prison population) carry out nearly 6,000 hours of unpaid and supervised work across Kent through Community Payback. The most recently-released figures on re-offending rates show that Community Payback is the most effective punishment available to the courts in terms of reducing re-offending (more than 60% do not re-offend within two years of sentence completion). Kent Probation Area’s Community Payback unit recently won a national Green Apple environment award, in partnership with local councils and the police, for its environmental improvement work with offenders in West Kent. Kent Probation Area is also in partnership with the Clean Kent Campaign to widen the scope of its Community Payback projects and improve the Kent environment. The campaign, a multi-agency project facilitated by Kent County Council in partnership with the district and borough councils, Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, and the Environment Agency, aims to improve the quality of the environment by reducing fly-tipping and littering.

For more information about Kent Probation Area contact Neil Lampert on 01622 350840.

4. The Forestry Commission (www.forestry.gov.uk) is responsible for forestry in Great Britain. It supports woodland owners with grants; tree felling licences, regulation and advice; promotes the benefits of forests and forestry; and advises government on forestry policy. It manages more than a million hectares (2.5 million acres) of national forest land for public benefits such as sustainable timber production, public recreation, nature conservation, and rural and community development. Forest Research is the research agency of the Forestry Commission. It is a world leader in the research and development of sustainable forestry and is Britain's principal organisation for forestry and tree related research, with specialists covering topics from managing timber, and protecting woodland from climate change, to tracking new pests and diseases, and examining the social and community benefits of woodland in urban and rural areas.