Doing Porridge

Despite my love of interiors, I am the first to admit that on the whole, hand on heart, essentially it is fluff really.

No one's ever going to win awards for writing about cushions and wars aren't going to be solved by having nice wallpaper.

So, it's always refreshing to see that interiors CAN make something of a difference.

While researching a trend page recently, I was told about an initiative called Fine Cell Work, they're a social enterprise who teach prisoners how to create needlepoint cushions and then sell their wares on for them.

Prison has always, as I'm sure it does most people, terrified me. Thankfully, I've never been inside one (unless you discount the time I went to a Jet gig at Pentonville Prison Officer's Club) so can only imagine how grim they are.

There certainly are some interesting facts on Fine Cell Work: 80% of the cushion makers are men (kinda dispels the view you probably most have on prisoners doesn't it? I know it did mine) and that all the teachers are volunteers.

So, of course I was impressed but are the designs any good? Well, yes actually they are.

Naturally, I love the Battersea Power Station one given my strange love affair with this building but what I really loved was the tongue-in-cheek tally countdown, presumably to release date.

This sort of initiative really deserves our support and Fine Cell Work are always looking for volunteers, so if you're handy with a needle (I'm not!) get in touch.

Right, sermon over, promise and back to more fluff and frivolity soon...