Sponsor a Prisoner
As a charity, just 25% of our work is covered by Fine Cell Work's social enterprise and the sale of our stitchers' exquisite work. We rely on funding and charitable donations for the remaining 75%.
Your £500 Sponsor a Prisoner donation will enable us to cover the costs of training, resources and materials for one prisoner for a full year, helping them to acquire work skills, self-confidence, a small nest egg and a connection back into society.
- £10 provides a prisoner with the materials for one tapestry cushion (100 hours of creative work)
- £50 sponsors a prisoner to train as a volunteer 'class coordinator', teaching and mentoring other prisoners
- £100 provides a prisoner with the materials for 10 stitching kits (1000 hours of creative activity)
- £500 pays for the training, materials and support for one prisoner for a full year
“Fine Cell Work turned me from being a self-harmer to a person who wanted to live life and do well. Since starting with them, I have wanted to change and be a better person. I owe a lot to them - they have helped me with my mental health, prison behaviour and family ties” – A Fine Cell Work stitcher
UK delivery starts at £3 and is completely free for orders over £200.
We also offer international delivery.
We hope you'll be delighted by your new Fine Cell Work items, but just in case you're not, there are several circumstances in which we will refund your purchase, subject to the item being returned within 30 days of receipt.
Our production process
Each of our products goes on a long and impactful journey before it is ready to be sold. And every one of our items touches the life of at least one prisoner or prison leaver in some way.
Our needlework kits are put together in our prison workshops before being distributed from our London hub to our wonderful volunteers. These inspirational supporters teach people in prison the necessary skills to craft each piece. The completed stitchwork is then returned to us, to ensure it meets our exacting standards, before finally being sent back into a prison to be 'made up', turning it into the final product (e.g. stuffing and adding zips to cushions).
In total, this process can take up to 200 hours and over 70,000 stitches (per piece!)
We know that every single one of our products boosts self-esteem, builds confidence, has a positive impact on a stitcher’s mental health, and gives them the opportunity to transform their lives.
By purchasing a product, you become a part of that journey.
Over 25 years of transformation
Rehabilitating over 8,000 prisoners
Renowned designers
Supported by esteemed designers to create one-of-a-kind, limited edition products
Breaking the cycle
We help break the devastating cycle of reoffending and repeated imprisonment
Support our work
£10 donation
Provides a prisoner with the materials for one tapestry cushion (100 hours of creative activity).
£20 donation
Will enable us to continue providing paid, creative and productive work to even more prisoners around the UK, helping them to build a brighter future.
£50 donation
Sponsors a prisoner to train as a volunteer 'class coordinator', teaching and mentoring other prisoners.
£250 donation
Covers the volunteer costs of a stitching class in prison.
£500 donation
Pays for the training, materials and support for one prisoner for an entire year, helping them to rebuild a meaningful, independent,crime-free life.
By giving prisoners hope that transformation is truly possible, they can envision a meaningful life after release. But nobody tells the story of how Fine Cell Work has helped them better than the prisoners themselves:
“Stitching allows me to use a totally different part of my brain and personality. I can move away from the more difficult reflections and anxieties and feel creative and purposeful. This means I no longer feel that my life has come to a halt and that I am of no use to anyone else.”- Tom, FCW Stitcher -