OFFENDERS RECOGNISED FOR WORK AT GIRLGUIDING UK ACTIVITY CENTRE
18 Jan 2010
Lancashire Probation Trust is being thanked by Girlguiding UK’s Waddow Hall centre in Clitheroe at a special ceremony on Saturday 23 January.
Over the past five years, hundreds of offenders on Community Payback supervised by the Probation Trust have worked in the Hall’s grounds as part of their sentence. As a thank you, Waddow Hall has dedicated a commemorative tree as a lasting reminder of the work that has been completed. The Hall has attracted local individuals and organisations to sponsor the planting of new beech trees on their 178-acre site. Thirty of these, including the one dedicated to Community Payback, will have their plaques unveiled at the ceremony.
Projects that the offenders have worked on over the past five years include:
* Building amphitheatres for campfires
* Building a Japanese garden
* Plastering & painting accommodation huts
* Assisting with maintenance of the buildings and grounds
Lancashire Probation’s Community Payback Practice Manager Lorraine Slater said:
“Offenders on Community Payback do a lot of work to help local people as part of their court order and to help repay society for their crimes. Waddow Hall is one of our longest running projects and we’re delighted that they’ve recognised the efforts put in over the past few years by dedicating the tree to us.
Community Payback is just one of the sentences that can be made as part of a Community Order but it’s also the most visible and the one which benefits local communities the most.”
Antony Wootton, centre manager at Waddow Hall, said: “As an organisation Girlguiding UK is always reaching out to new communities, and our membership is made of girls and young women from many different backgrounds.
“At Waddow, we would like to think that our partnership with the Lancashire Probation Trust is an extension of this ethic, and we are delighted to be involved in a project like Community Payback.”
The project is just one of many undertaken by offenders working as part of their court punishment on Community Payback. Last year, a total of over 87,500 hours were worked unpaid across East Lancashire by offenders for the benefit of local people and neighbourhoods. That’s an equivalent value of over £½ million at basic wage.
Anyone can suggest work projects for offenders to do - click on the link below. All work schemes must be for public or charity/ non-profit community benefit.
