1. ‘Books for Prisoners’ – Book collection project defies all expectations!

3000 books leave Liverpool Hope University destined for HMPLiverpool (Walton Gaol)

The Creative Campus is busy yet again delivering another project that reflects the social justice agenda of the School of Creative and Performing Arts. As part of the HMP2Hope Applied Arts Project (created by Dr Gary Anderson and Dr Niamh Malone) which has been running for 4 years in partnership with HMPLiverpool and HMPRisley, 3000 books have been generously donated by Hope staff, students and associates to enhance the very limited book collection at HMPLiverpool library. These books will play an important part in helping the prisoners’ educational achievement while incarcerated. They will also be a valuable resource for the men engaged in the HMP2Hope programme.

Drs Anderson and Malone would like to thank all those who donated books and especially the Hope staff which supported the logistics of the project. They would like to thank Chris Hitchen, Dave Kerry, and Natalie Dermott. A special thank you to Ms Amy Courtenay for completing the mammoth task of cataloguing the books.

Dr Gary Anderson (School of Creative and Performing Arts) and Mr Chris Hitchen (Duty Manager, Creative Campus) flexed their muscles, packed up and delivered the harvest of books to HMPLiverpool.

2. ‘Piece’ of Mind project is launched in HMP Liverpool

As part of the HMP2HOPE (est. 2018) ‘Piece’ of Mind is the latest project to be launched which encourages prisoners to consider third level education.

Dr Gary Anderson and Dr Niamh Malone visit HMP Liverpool weekly to work with prisoners on a selection of educational projects. The work is prisoner-led and the latest project ‘Piece’ of Mind is jigsaw based. The project evolved in response to discussions with prisoners around understandings of ‘judgement’ and can we move beyond it. The men asked to look at classical paintings for visual depictions of ‘judgement’. Drs Anderson and Malone developed their interest by creating a project which would see each participant receive a jigsaw case, 1000-piece jigsaw, notebook and access to recorded lectures/podcasts created by the tutors. This enables the men to listen to information and discussions while they make the jigsaws individually. The men are then given the materials required to hang the finished jigsaws in their cells.

This project has been an instant success and found to be especially effective in aiding the mens’ mental health. According to one prisoner ‘I self-harm really bad. But this takes my mind off things. Bad things. I spend 4 hours doing this jigsaw and I think of nothing else except where’s the next piece. I feel I have accomplished something every time I do it. It’s boss. Love it’. The staff on the wing have noticed the positive impact of the project has had on the men, according to one staff member ‘you look in their cell and there they are in deep concentration making the jigsaw. It passes hours for them and they are so proud to constantly show you their progress’.

The project will finish with an exhibition of the jigsaws in the prison library at HMP Liverpool and as part of the Angel Field festival 2023 at the Creative Campus. All the images are selected by the men and to date range from late medieval to the Dutch golden age. Artists include Bosch, Bruegel, Jan Steen and Vermeer.

We will send invites out for the exhibition in the lead up to the Angel Field Festival.