Bek and I have just come back from a visit to HMP East Sutton Park. The initials are a clue… but fall way short of describing what an amazing place this is. The residents, under the experienced eye of David, a master horticulturist, propagate lots of our seeds for us and we really don’t know what we would do without them. The horticultural facilities at East Sutton Park are superb, especially if you know how to use them. As well as learning horticultural skills, the open prison also has a small farm and farm shop where they make and sell the best sausages for miles around. Last year it was announced that the prison was closing. It is one of only two open women’s prisons in the country and should be hailed as an exemplar of what can be achieved. ESP has a virtual ‘zero’ reoffending rate, and really does get women inspired and back on the right track.
We came back with a mass of plants for the plot, as well as some Tumbling Tom and Gardener’s Delight tomatoes for the poly tunel. Bek and and I are already dreaming of summer lunches outside the shed…
If you get a chance, please click here to sign the e-petition against the closure of East Sutton Park