Offenders help to mend fences

Running a 200-acre estate is a big job, especially when you have to rely largely on volunteers, but now teams of offenders have come forward to ease the burden.

For several months groups of workers under the control of Cheshire Probation Area have been carrying out a variety of tasks at Bickley Hall Farm, near Malpas, the headquarters of Cheshire Wildlife Trust.

The Trust has been based at the historic hall, which is part of the Cholmondley estate, since 2006 and volunteers have done a tremendous amount to tidy up the buildings and improve the environment.

Last year Jackie Hulse, the Trust’s Head of Estate and Land Management, approached the probation service to see what assistance could be offered under the Community Payback scheme by which offenders carry out unpaid work as part of their sentences.

Grenville Millington, the service’s placement manager, visited Bickley and immediately realised that the estate offered huge potential for teams of offenders.

“As well as the 200 acres here we also have 45 nature reserves throughout the county where work is necessary,” said Jackie.

The offenders’ first job was to clean up an old shippon for use as a classroom for Trust members and local children.

“They jet-washed the inside of the building and did a good job of it,” said Grenville, whose duties include carrying out a risk assessment of each project before it can be authorised.

Over recent months teams of about eight offenders have visited the site each week to erect fences and plant hedges, replacing those which had been torn up under Government grant schemes some years ago.

“In total about 3,000 holly, blackthorn, hawthorn and oak plants are being planted,” said Andy James, the Probation Service’s Community Payback Supervisor for Chester and Ellesmere Port.

Jackie is delighted with the quality and volume of the work done by the team.

“It’s been a massive help to us as it would have taken a long time for our volunteers to do it all, and that would have meant our being unable to do other work elsewhere,” she said.

“They’re a good bunch and they’re doing a good job. They really get on with it,” she said.

Ash Boss, 21, from Chester, was ordered to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work by magistrates and has been involved in various projects, but found the work at Bickley particularly rewarding.

“When you see the lines of hedges it does give you a sense of achievement,” he said.

Anthony Prosser, 23, from Neston, who was ordered to complete 100 hours, also enjoyed his visits to the Cheshire countryside despite having to carry out the planting in some of the coldest weather of the winter.

“I’ve done things like cleaning graffiti, painting and clearing churchyards previously, but this is definitely the best from my point of view,” he said.

In fact the work has proved so popular that a couple of the offenders, having complete their stipulated number of hours, return to the site to continue their work as volunteers.

Steve Collett, the Chief Officer of the Cheshire Probation Area, added: “Community punishments are hard work, restrict liberty, but crucially encourage rehabilitation and reduce re-offending.

“It is physical work for the offenders but also has tremendous benefits for the community.

“The scheme shows that when people commit offences they have to repair and put right what they have done wrong in the first place whilst giving something back to the community.

“This is a constructive form of punishment in that, in addition to doing something beneficial to the community, offenders can learn respect.

“Each work day is constructed to be just like any other employee’s work day – they have to follow instructions and work to targets and get the work done in an acceptable manner.

“The project at Bickley Hall Farm is a perfect example of Community Payback in action,” he added