“Obviously, I’m here doing my hours that I was given by probation for a car accident that I had back in October last year… I actually came for a little walk round, just to meet everyone. I was very nervous about coming here. It sounds awful, doesn’t it. You have an image in your head, … More Aaron says: “I’ve been surprised by the people I’ve met…”
“I’m here because when I got out of prison and I was at probation, I was asking if they can help me find some voluntary work and I presumed that because they deal with a lot of people that get hours to go places from probation that they’d know like lots of voluntary places that … More Patrick says: “I like the routine, the structure, having a purpose in life. I love what I’m doing here with the woodwork…”
“Quite a journey. Obviously, I’ve had the support of LandWorks ever since 2020 and that’s been really good because you don’t get any judgement and you get like time to just not be treated in a certain way by people with their own agendas, which is very good for building inner strength, if you know … More Stef says: “There is a way out of this. There is a future with the right help. Don’t be afraid to take it and ask for it, hold your hands up and move on.”
“I was going downhill. I’d just come out of prison, and I was sort of going downhill taking drugs and alcohol again, and then someone said would you like to work at LandWorks? I goes yeah, I’ll give it a go like, see what the buzz is about … started coming here and I enjoyed … More Clive says: “If I weren’t ‘ere, I would probably be dead by now … Coming here has changed my life”
The first time I came to have a look around and meeting everyone and seeing everything, I just instantly was like this is what I want to do. Like I instantly knew. I just feel safe here and I find it hard to trust people, especially people like in authority or whatever, but I instantly … More Deer says: “seeing that a lot of people who work here used to be like us, it’s a symbol of hope…”
This is a section from a transcript of a focus group carried out during the Inside Knowledge module run by the University of Plymouth at LandWorks in March 2024… Julie – What do you think are the key benefits of the enterprises at LandWorks? John – Oh, the list is so long … building self-worth, … More John says: “…as much as they might be learning from you, you’re learning from people all the time, you’re receiving it back…”
“…my probation officer, she was asking me to start coming for like a good six to eight months before I actually did, yeah, because I never used to really go out anywhere or do anything and I didn’t like going anywhere, so yeah, she kept saying that I’d really enjoy it and it would be … More Amelia says: “It’s given me routine, structure, discipline and like friends…”
“I’ve done quite a lot of stuff here like. It made me feel a lot more like … it changed my way of life … there’s more to life and that. It makes you feel more like part of the community and makes me want to be able to do something with my life. Before … More JimBob says: ”this place taught me to be truthful and to say how it is…”
“So, I studied at the University of Plymouth, where I did sociology for three years and within that three years, I did a placement at LandWorks. So, I volunteered here pretty much every Thursday until lockdown got introduced. So yeah, I came out here every Thursday. I remember like my first impressions. Oh gosh, I’ve … More Rose says: “I like seeing the little changes in people…”
“I see Graham a lot. I love that. We have a laugh don’t we, and just making great stuff. We’re gonna be making that thing for * … a bin area, keep her bins safe so they don’t blow away […] Yeah, so we’ll be making that, and we’ll just be making like the benches … More Justina says: “sometimes trauma and bad things can make you into a better person…”
A window into LandWorks 