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 Tabby Elwes, who joined our Board of Trustees in 2017, to find out more about her background and what Fine Cell Work means to her. 

I am a single mother and a strategy consultant who has advised media companies for thirty years. I love beautiful design and I am a very slow (and somewhat incompetent!) stitcher.

I first became aware of Fine Cell Work nearly thirty years ago when it was a very different organisation with just one employee, Katy Emck working for Lady Anne Tree, helping to navigate the complex prison world to produce needlepoint cushions. At that point in time, neither the range or quality was what it is now nor was our reach into prisons so high. 

I was delighted to be able to apply my business and analytical skills to support Fine Cell Work, and I helped Katy to develop her first business plan to begin the expansion of the organisation. I have continued to provide ad hoc support and was thrilled in 2017 to be asked to become a Trustee.

Being part of Fine Cell Work is so very special.  I get to apply my experience and learn in a very different (and much more complex world) than my usual commercial environment.  It has opened my eyes to the mostly hidden world of prisons where there is so little chance for hope and redemption, and it has been a catalyst to my becoming more broadly involved in prison work - I am about to join the Independent Monitoring Board of one of the London prisons. I admire the extraordinary ability of people to create great beauty in places of darkness and I feel very honoured to be allowed to play my tiny part in supporting such a wonderful organisation.

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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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