Trustees' Week, running from 3rd to 7th November, celebrates the amazing contributions made by Trustees for their charities and recognises the difference they make. 

To mark Trustees' Week, we spoke to some of the amazing individuals that give their time, expertise and energy to help steer the strategic direction and governance of our charity. In this article, we meet April Astley Birtwistle, who joined our Board of Trustees in 2024 after volunteering with stitching groups in prison for 10 years. 

I have a passion for any form of needlework and from an early age I have always had “something on the go” that I could pick up and get lost in for a few indulgent hours.  I have been fortunate that I have had expert tuition and have a solid core of embroidery knowledge and expertise at my fingertips, so when I wanted to put my energies into something worthwhile and I heard that a new Fine Cell Work group was starting up in a prison near me, I felt my stars were aligning and knew immediately it was exactly what I was looking for and applied to be a volunteer.

Before I started as a volunteer, I imagined that teaching people in prison how to stitch was simply an activity to fill a bit of their time. It was only after a few months that I realised it was so much more. When you are in prison it is very easy to completely close down; to try to shrink and numb yourself from everything around you. It’s difficult to emerge from that, but becoming a stitcher has been described as life changing.  Empty hours in your cell become filled with purposeful activity. The simple act of stitch repetition, quiet focus and creating something with your hands can become a form of meditation. The healing power of stitching is enormous. For millennia every society in the world has made clothes or household goods for practical purposes and none has ever been able to resist the lure of embellishment. It is in our DNA to make things beautiful and to create and this is exactly the supportive opportunity that our stitchers are offered. 

In the 10 years I have been a volunteer, I have been amazed by the dedication, enthusiasm, intelligence, curiosity and perfectionism displayed in our classes. I have felt honoured to have had fascinating and revealing conversations with stitchers that have given me an insight into a world I was unfamiliar with. It has been a delight to sit and have in depth discussions on the actual specifics of the very best way to ensure your Basketweave is completely even, or how to create a perfect French Knot or tricky Knotted Pearl Stitch. All questions initiated by the stitcher and ones, in his previous life, he almost certainly never imagined he would be asking! I have noticed that many of the best stitchers are neurodivergent and believe the precision, detail and exacting requirements of embroidery suit their skillsets. There is humour, engagement and pride in the realisation you are good at something, particularly when you are entrusted with a commission piece - all powerful incentives to become confident and positive about the future.

This is why I love being the Volunteer Trustee for Fine Cell Work. The support the charity offers is unique and I am proud to be part of it. 

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You can support our work in prisons and post-release by choosing to buy a Fine Cell Work Product, or by making a donation. 

There are many ways to get involved with Fine Cell Work. Our diverse community is made up of stitchers, post-release apprentices, volunteers, trustees and staff.

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