ERLESTOKE Prison farm shop has opened its doors and is already welcoming visitors.

The farm shop, in the prison car park, is offering fresh produce grown and harvested by the inmates as well as a selection of hand crafted woodworking items including toys.

To celebrate the opening last Thursday (October 1), governor Steve Hodson, his wife and organiser of the shop Janine Hodson, High Sheriff Sarah Gooch and the volunteers who will help run the shop were all there to cut the ribbon.

Mr Hodson said: “It is excellent to have this farm shop here, as well as providing the men with something to do it is providing them with work opportunities and experience. It helps them gain qualifications which means when they are released it helps with rehabilitation and employment.

“The shop was open five years ago then closed. I saw so much potential and needed volunteers, we are very lucky that we have managed to galvanize volunteers to make this possible. This is a way of getting involved with the community.”

The shop, which will be open Thursdays to Saturdays 10am-4pm, is also taking orders for woodworking from their catalogue.

Mrs Hodson said: “We have already sold over £200 worth of handmade crafts before we officially opened. There is such a good mix of garden plants, fresh produce and bespoke hand crafted items.”

All of the produce is grown on the Erlestoke Manor Nursery, built in the grounds of the former Erlestoke Manor, by the men in the prison, then harvested and sent directly to the shop.

Lynda Wearn, a trustee at the prison, said: “All of what you see is made by the prisoners and sold at competitive prices. The men are very talented and all of the profits go to buying more materials, anything left over will be used to fund projects to help rehabilitate the men. We have had people come in who just happened to be driving past.”