HMP Everthorpe’s Save a Life, Drop the Knife garden (supported by Britspace) has won 2 prestigious awards at this years RHS Show Tatton Park. The garden has won the top accolade of Best in Show as well as a Gold Award.

Designed by Senior Horticultural Tutor, Glen Jackson and put together by around 50 offenders at Everthorpe prison in East Yorkshire, the garden features a grim urban landscape, with graffiti depicting a hooded figure with a knife. This then transforms into a beautiful harmonious garden and is meant to represent the ‘journey of a perpetrator of knife crime’.

It was originally designed as a rehabilitation exercise and an opportunity to provide essential skills training for inmates across a host of trades.

“I’ve witnessed the thought process change for those that were involved; once they became involved in the project, they took personal ownership and felt inspired to do something positive with their lives.” Glen Jackson

Yorkshire based off-site manufacturer, Britspace constructed the garden walls off-site, with graffiti artists visiting the factory to paint the Banksy inspired artwork before being delivered to the flower show in Chester.

The garden faced tough competition but was acknowledged and commended by the judges for raising awareness of a very real and increasing problem in today’s society. Having swept the board with the most prestigious awards at the show, the garden has been carefully deconstructed and brought back to Yorkshire where it will be reconstructed outside the grounds of Hull Kingston Rovers Rugby Club, in the hope that it continues to educate people against knife crime and raise awareness of the devastating effects this can have on an individual and their families.

The garden was not only a success at the Tatton Park Show but has also managed to transform the life of one particular offender at HMP Everthorpe, as described by Glen Jackson:

“One of the sponsors was so impressed with the garden construction that one of our offenders, (who played a pivotal role in the build), was offered a job – the offender is now successfully employed by this company and this is a real success story that came about because of this garden”

The scheme has been fully endorsed by The Rt Hon David Davis MP, the Ministry of Justice and The Prince’s Trust as a visual display and a stark reminder of the seriousness of knife crime whilst also offering a bright and positive message about the benefits of ‘dropping the knife’.

Notes for Editors:

• Publication imagery is available upon request

• Founded in 1972, Britspace now has the capacity to output over 80 modules per week, equating to 1,200m² which is enough to cover a football pitch in just 1 month

• Offsite construction vastly reduces a construction programme and with fewer trades on site, improvements in health and safety standards, increases in the level of quality and with less waste removal, reduces the carbon footprint of a project.

• Through the construction recession of the last two years, Britspace has expanded the business by 30%

• During the last 5 years, Britspace has maintained 0 RIDDOR accidents on site

• For over 15 years, Britspace has held a BBA structural guarantee for permanent buildings

 Contact:

Name: Emma Cade      Tel: 01430 444504            Name: Monika Kubacka    Tel: 01430 444551