LandWorks Supporters’ Day raises over £20,000 and celebrates remarkable reoffending and employment statistics
LandWorks welcomed over 130 supporters to its annual open day on 30th September, celebrating another year of remarkable achievement and raising over £20,000 for the charity.
The sun shone on the flourishing Quarry Site, now secured on a 25-year lease from The Dartington Hall Trust, as visitors took the opportunity to explore the carpentry workshops, polytunnels, art installations, market garden, social spaces and fully equipped kitchen, where a buffet lunch was prepared and served.
They also had the opportunity to meet with former and current LandWorks trainees, and learn about their achievements.
Among the guests were representatives from Channings Wood prison, the probation service and the police who recognise the vital work that LandWorks is doing to help ex-offenders find new lives without crime.
One simple statistic gives a small indication of LandWorks’ impact: the national measure for reoffending within one year of release from prison is 46%; by the same calculation, the reoffending rate for LandWorks trainees is 4%.
Chair of Trustees Ted Tuppen speaks to supporters. Photo: Gillian Cartwright
Reflecting on LandWorks’ achievements in his Supporters’ Day address, Ted Tuppen CBE, Chairman of the Trustee Board said:
“When I first helped Chris Parsons get LandWorks started, I accepted that, even if we just had one success, turned around one life, it would have been worth it.
But we have achieved so much more. We are now recognised as a Centre of Excellence, demonstrating to Government, to the prison service, to the probation service, to the community, to anyone who cares to look and listen just what can be achieved, and why it is worth it.
The statistics speak for themselves: 93% of our ROTL graduates in employment and a 4% reoffending rate.”
In May 2016 LandWorks was awarded independent Registered Charity status, opening doors to new fundraising opportunities. However supporter contributions remain key to the project’s long terms sustainability.
During the Supporters’ Day, Project Manager Chris Parsons was delighted to announce that, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of one kind supporter, all new regular donations to the charity will be match funded from now until Christmas, doubling the amount the charity receives.
Inspired by the news, 50 supporters were moved to pledge more than £8,000 on the day, which will be doubled by match-funding to £16,000. Combined with sales of raffle tickets and wood products crafted by the trainees, the event raised over £20,000 for the charity.
Single or regular donations can continue to be made via the LandWorks Donate page.