The Clink Charity, the prisoner training initiative offering prisoners hospitality training, work experience and mentoring to help them find employment on release, has announced the launch of its new catering arm Clink Events.
The organisation behind The Clink Restaurants, the charity provides food preparation and service training to prisoners, to support their development and aid them in gaining City & Guild NVQ qualifications, with the sole aim of reducing reoffending rates through rehabilitation.
Widening training and experience
Part of a much wider scheme, the food served by Clink Events is prepared by prisoners training in the restaurant kitchens at HMP High Down in Surrey and HMP Brixton in London.
The opportunity to create refined canapés and sophisticated bowl food widens the trainee chefs’ education and experience even further than preparing the seasonal à la carte available across the restaurant group. Once prepared, the food is delivered to event venues within the M25 by refrigerated vehicles supplied by 3663.
Centrepoint candidates to serve the food
In order to offer a full service, from the food creation through to serving at the event, Clink Events has established a collaborative partnership with Centrepoint, the UK’s leading young homeless charity, to help young, disadvantaged people get their foot on the career ladder. Candidates from Centrepoint undergo a half day’s training programme to equip them with the confidence, knowledge and skill to serve guests food and drink. Each person taking part receives a certificate of achievement that they can use when looking for employment.
Available for receptions and standing parties of up to 500 people, Clink Events offers an array of canapés and bowl food, developed by The Clink Restaurant founder and director of Clink Events Chef Alberto Crisci MBE.
Stylish dishes available as part of the Clink Events menus include pulled pork & lime apple crostini with crispy sage leaves, slow braised beef cheeks with red wine and porcini mushrooms, pilaf rice, aubergine caviar with rosemary pita bread and handmade chocolate & rum truffles.
Rehabilitation and reduced re-offending
Choosing Clink Events supports the continued growth of The Clink Charity’s prisoner rehabilitation programmes whilst also giving some of the UK’s most vulnerable young people an opportunity to improve their lives and establish are rewarding and sustained career.
This has a clear, positive impact on society, which can be seen in the reduction in reoffending from the national average of 46% to just 12.5%, as well as contributing to businesses’ corporate social responsibility objectives – an important factor in a society where transparency and community support is key.
Aiming to train 500 per year
Alberto Crisci comments on the launch saying, “It’s incredible how far The Clink concept has come in such a short space of time. With three training restaurants in operation and a fourth due to open at HMP Styal in spring 2015, The Clink Gardens at HMP Send and now Clink Events it means we are over half way to our goal of having ten training projects in operation by the end of 2017.
“This will allow us to train and release 500 graduates into employment each year and with the launch of the event catering service the prisoners in training are being exposed to even more ingredients, techniques and methods which expands their work experience and knowledge even further.
“Clink Events supports the rehabilitation revolution and will work alongside and promote other work-based prisoner training projects. We are using bread from the Bad Boys Bakery, ‘Banged up Bangers’ made from Hewell Grange rare breed pigs, fruit and vegetables from The Clink Gardens at HMP Send, wooden serving boards from The Mount Prison and uniforms from the tailoring workshop at HMP Brixton that works with The London College of Fashion workshop at HMP Holloway.”
To find out more about The Clink Charity, its training projects and to enquire about Clink Events catering your next event click here