Following the success of The Clink restaurant at HMP High Down, The Clink Charity has been in discussion with HMP Cardiff and HMP Prescoed to create a second restaurant before the end of the year. Officially opened on 11 May 2009, The Clink Restaurant, H.M.P. High Down in Sutton, Surrey, was the first and only commercial restaurant to be built inside a working British prison.
Devised by Chef Alberto Crisci MBE with great support from Peter Dawson, governor of H.M.P. High Down and Kevin McGrath, Kate Quigley-Ruby, founder trustees, The Clink has also gained the support of several prominent individuals within the hospitality industry.
Looking toward the future, Chris Moore, Chief Executive of The Clink Charity is optimistic about the development of more Clink projects. “The aim of The Clink Charity is to reduce re-offending rates of ex-offenders by training and placing graduates upon their release into the hospitality industry.
“The charity therefore represents a genuine opportunity for change, offering prisoners the chance to gain food preparation, food service and cleaning qualifications as well as experience within an exciting, operational business and in-depth guidance to find full-time employment within the hospitality industry upon release. We currently operate the Clink Restaurant in collaboration with HMP High Down, the Prison Service and the Ministry of Justice and we have been focused on opportunities to develop the clink concept”.
The Clink Charity has submitted a planning application to build a second Clink Restaurant in conjunction with HMP Cardiff. If planning permission is granted, the restaurant will be built within the grounds of the prison but outside the main walls and will be complete by the end of 2012.
The income generated from the restaurant will go towards the running and operating costs of the restaurant which will be supplemented by donations.
About The Clink Restaurant and Charity
At Her Majesty’s Prison High Down in Surrey, prisoner rehabilitation is a primary goal of catering and front-of-house service training initiative The Clink. The first of its kind in the UK, The Clink is a successful public access restaurant fully operational within the secure walls of the prison, initiated by passionate chef Alberto Crisci MBE, with the support of Governor of H.M.P. High Down, Peter Dawson and Founder Trustees Kevin McGrath and Kate Quigley-Ruby. It is manned by prisoners eager to develop on-the-job skills and hospitality industry experience ready for employment upon release.
The Clink restaurant, seating 90 diners, offers breakfast (6:30am to 9:30am) and lunch (midday to 3pm) and the open plan kitchen can be viewed from the restaurant offering guests the opportunity to watch food preparation. Offering a memorable dining experience, seasonal food is prepared, cooked and served by 22 prisoners who have applied to work and train towards obtaining recognised City and Guilds NVQ qualifications in catering, cleaning and customer service during the last six to 18 months of their sentence.
The Clink Charity continues to seek out opportunities to showcase these graduates’ culinary and front-of-house service talents to organisations in a position to consider taking on qualified, full-time staff and it aims to continue to secure funds from private individuals and philanthropic businesses to meet the cost of training and the running of the business.
Visit www.theclinkcharity.com for further information