Our new Meet The Volunteer feature is a great way for us to introduce our supporters to some of the amazing volunteers who devote their time to delivering our front line services. We could not do what we do without their hard work, dedication and skill. 

We caught up with Janice, a former primary school teacher and textile enthusiast who delivers needlework training to Fine Cell Work stitchers in prison, to find out more about her role - as well as her own creative interests and background.  Read on to gain a unique insight into what it's like to volunteer with Fine Cell Work...

While I worked as a primary school teacher, I sewed from an early age.

I was given a sewing machine for my 21^st birthday and I’ve always been into dressmaking. When studying for my English degree, I worked as a salesperson for Laura Ashley, which certainly fuelled my love of textiles! 

I joined the Embroiderers’ Guild while I was still teaching and, once a month, I escaped to the village hall to sit and sew with friends. When I finished working as a teacher, I studied for a City and Guilds in Design and Hand Embroidery. I absolutely loved it! I thought, 'why haven’t I been doing this all my life?'! 

I’ve got all sorts of creative projects on the go. I’ve recently got into bojagi, which is a traditional form of Korean patchworking traditionally used for wrapping gifts and heirlooms, or for window coverings and room screenings. I am currently making a bojagi tablecloth, using squares of transparent fabric in various sizes. As the fabric is pieced together using French seams, the tablecloth will be double sided, which is great for when the grandchildren have been making a mess! 

I recently exhibited a crazy, hand-embroidered patchwork piece at one of my stitching group exhibitions, and I've just made myself a new apron! 

Janice's bojagi blocks, handmade apron and crazy patchwork (also pictured above)

On a typical day volunteering for Fine Cell Work...

I go into prison fortnightly to teach alongside the group's lead volunteer - between us, we run two groups. In my group we have up to fourteen stitchers, supported by three volunteers and a fantastic prison officer, Officer Fox. He runs the group every other week when the volunteers aren’t there. He’s been such a great role model – the stitchers respect him. He’s a big guy doing delicate hand-embroidery [you can read more about Officer Fox and his work here].

At the start of each session, we go around the group to see where everyone is with their work, and to see if they have any finished work to hand in. Some stitchers will be working on paid kits that make up products to be sold on Fine Cell Work's website, and others will be working on their Open College Network (OCN) pieces. As part of the Quiltmaking OCN unit, stitchers undertake three apprentice pieces – a nine-patch quilt with borders, a quilting piece, and a coaster with binding and mitred corners. Once they have completed these, they can then go on to design their own quilt, and then on to the paid kits. The volunteers prepare the quilting kits for the stitchers outside of the group. It takes a long time to prepare a kit, so we do this at home. 

We also teach the OCN Embroidery and Canvaswork units - it’s a learning curve for the volunteers as well as the stitchers! The volunteers share their skills with each other. When I first started volunteering, our lead volunteer, a master quilter, helped me to understand how to perfect my quilting skills. Now, she is teaching me canvaswork, and is teaching another volunteer quiltmaking, whilst I am helping the others with their embroidery. It’s great for us to work through the OCN courses too, as this gives us a better understanding of the teaching that might be needed along the way, having been through the process ourselves. 

We’re based in a portacabin outside the wing. When we go back through the wing, you will often see someone with their Fine Cell Work stitching, sitting opposite someone playing pool, which is lovely! You might assume that big, burly chaps may feel embarrassed about stitching, but they’re not – they’re proud of it! 

Stitcher submissions for the OCN Quiltmaking unit - nine-patch block, quilting sample and coaster

I was drawn to Fine Cell Work when I read an article about the charity in Stitch magazine.

It had an image of a heavily tattooed arm and a tiny little needle - I was drawn to it, captivated by it. I thought to myself that when I finish working, I’d like to volunteer with the charity. When I went onto the website to apply, I found that I was able to fill in the form in a very positive way with my previous experience – that was 10 years ago!

Volunteering with Fine Cell Work is so rewarding - it's in the little specks of progress that you see.

It might not be in the stitching itself – it often goes beyond that. It might be in the way somebody enters the classroom, when you start to see changes in their personality and character. To begin with, they might be someone who finds it hard to engage, but a few weeks down the line, they are chatting comfortably in the group and making eye contact. Quite a lot of the stitchers I have met may never have been told that they are good at anything before, so it gives them a feeling of worth to have someone acknowledge that what they are doing is good. 

One stitcher, who has been in prison for a long time, said to me, ‘it just gives me peace in my heart when I’m sewing.’ Hearing those words makes it all worthwhile. There’s such a need in society, but when you take it stitch by stitch, one person at a time - and you can make a little difference like this - it’s hugely rewarding.

Another stitcher in my group had a quilt exhibited in The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham last year. It’s such a joy to see how he has progressed and what he has achieved. When he told me he wanted to make a Manchester United quilt, I initially thought it would be too intricate, but he knew what he wanted to do, and he jolly well did it! It’s just superb! He came in just like all the others, but he’s someone I’ve seen change. He was initially very quiet, but now he’s always up for some banter! The others in the group have seen what he has achieved, which has been inspirational for them too.

A stitcher's Manchester United quilt with detail shots, as exhibited in The Festival of Quilts, 2024

The charity is so valuable - it's what's needed on every wing in every prison.

It’s crucial for rehabilitation. I love the Open The Gate programme too. Some of the stitchers from my group have gone on to join after release. One lad found work and got married – he's reintegrated into society with the help of Open The Gate! When people are released from prison, if they don’t have any family or support, then what chance have they got? Fine Cell Work is helping with this.

The most unique thing about volunteering for Fine Cell Work is meeting new people, and seeing a different side of life.

This is something I’ve always valued. It encourages you to unpick your assumptions about life, and you learn the importance of ensuring people have the right support when they go off track. 

You see the harsh realities of being locked up. Some people say that prisoners have a nice time, but I always think of them when the weather is lovely and sunny. I always think of them when I’m somewhere nice on holiday, and it’s the same old routine for them everyday. It’s grey, concrete and metal in prison, which is why I love taking in all of these lovely fabrics, colours and textures!

If you're considering volunteering with Fine Cell Work...

I would say look at what you have to offer, because it is more than just the stitching. If you understand people, and you’ve got experience of life, then go for it - because it’s very, very rewarding! 

Fine Cell Work offer you a lot of support and often invite volunteers to their Battersea hub for training and events – I recently met the textile artist [and Fine Cell Work Patron] Kaffe Fassett at a talk – he’s a big idol of mine, so that was great! 

My favourite Fine Cell Work product is...

The Pineapple Cushion, because it’s gorgeous – I love the way it shades! One of the chaps in my group spent such a long time making one, perfecting all of those French knots! I redecorated my lounge last year, and when I went with my daughter to the Fine Cell Work Christmas Fair, she encouraged me to buy it. There are so many beautiful things though - it’s hard to choose a favourite really!