Category: Woodworking

Johnny Says: “This is awesome. I don’t know why I didn’t get sent here before, because I reckon none of this would’ve happened if I came here earlier…”

May 5, 2021

I’ve been at LandWorks for about six or seven weeks maybe. Maybe a little bit longer. I’ve lost track because… It’s nice. I got in trouble before, but … I didn’t have to come here. I didn’t have any conditions left. My probation officer said ‘what do you do?’ I said I just potter around … More Johnny Says: “This is awesome. I don’t know why I didn’t get sent here before, because I reckon none of this would’ve happened if I came here earlier…”

Robin says: “It took getting into trouble to really get some help”

January 21, 2021

“Since being here I’ve been working on the veg patch, harvesting veg, which is pretty cool and interesting. I’ve learnt quite a few things … harvesting different things … like kale and stuff, knowing where to cut it. I’ve never done that before. What else? I’ve done a bit of woodwork helping Graham make benches. … More Robin says: “It took getting into trouble to really get some help”

Billy says: “Coming here, you’ve got to want to change…”

January 6, 2020

“Coming here, you’ve got to want to change. If they don’t want to change, you will change no-one. You can get a 100 people out here on this programme. If they think they’re going to want to get out and get involved in different shenanigans that could lead to this and that, you ain’t going … More Billy says: “Coming here, you’ve got to want to change…”

Glyn says: “It’s like you’re on a track and you come to a fork in the track. All them years ago I took the wrong fork. This time I’ve got out, I’ve took the right fork…”

November 28, 2019

“I class myself as a gentleman really, literally, always have done. Then a load of crime got involved from a very young age. So, I ended up doing 40 years in different institutions, incarcerated all over the country, leading up until now… Life in prison? I don’t have anything else to talk about. The next … More Glyn says: “It’s like you’re on a track and you come to a fork in the track. All them years ago I took the wrong fork. This time I’ve got out, I’ve took the right fork…”

Fred says: “Just to have that normality again is just… it’s a godsend coming here, rather than being in there.”

November 14, 2019

“Drug abuse got me here. I just got in a bit of a bad place for a little while and things went a bit wrong. Now, no more drugs. Get on with it now. There were no drugs for 15 months before I came to prison, I can’t see it being any different. I’m very … More Fred says: “Just to have that normality again is just… it’s a godsend coming here, rather than being in there.”

Billy says: “without time in prison… you’d have never got me here in a million years”

July 25, 2019

“I’m coming towards the end of my sentence and felt that coming out to LandWorks would give me a very good introduction into future employment and future understanding of how life is going to be for me post-release. I turned it down [before] and I used to have a laugh with the boys and give … More Billy says: “without time in prison… you’d have never got me here in a million years”

Matt says: “my time in prison has been an experience, one I could’ve done without”

May 30, 2019

“My time in prison has been an experience, one I could’ve done without… Do you know, LandWorks has been a godsend to me, it really has, and you need more of these units around the country, definitely. They get you in touch with humans again, instead of people in bloody black suits. You’re just like … More Matt says: “my time in prison has been an experience, one I could’ve done without”

Matt says: “I always say it’s worse for them on the outside, definitely worse for them…”

February 28, 2019

“I phone my wife probably four times a day. I always call her in the morning to make sure she’s got to work. I like to know she’s in work. When she’s gone to work I phone her mobile, but in the evenings, it’s on the landline. I put so much money on phone credit, … More Matt says: “I always say it’s worse for them on the outside, definitely worse for them…”

Lee says: “It just took a little bit of time for me to realise that there are nice people in the world…”

November 26, 2018

“It’s like in Prison, you start talking to someone, you know within a few minutes whether they’re full of shit, whether they’re telling the truth, whether they’re making up … you know, everything comes in that first few moments and it’s “bye” or you keep talking. Those are the options. Going home’s going to be … More Lee says: “It just took a little bit of time for me to realise that there are nice people in the world…”

Lee says: “but it’s like when the judge says four-and-a-half years, you think “oh shit…”

October 4, 2018

“I was on bail for 18 months and I couldn’t take a contract on because it would’ve been in excess of 12 months. I’d already put a tender in, I’d got a job basically, but I couldn’t take it, so I had to sit around doing bit-part jobs while I waited to go to court. … More Lee says: “but it’s like when the judge says four-and-a-half years, you think “oh shit…”