West Ham United Foundation Employability Manager Rashid Abba was joined by former Hammer James Collins to attend the Twinning programme graduation of yet another cohort of HMP Chelmsford inmates.
The Twinning Project is a partnership between HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and professional football clubs with the objective of twinning every prison in England and Wales with a local professional football club.
Professional coaches and football club staff, supported by prison PE officers, co-deliver accredited coaching and employability-based qualifications to prisoners to better prepare them for life after their release.
Within this unique and groundbreaking project involving over 70 community club organisations across the English football pyramid, West Ham United’s official charity is twinned with HMP Chelmsford, where it delivers an introduction to coaching course.
“Over the past four years we have established a strong working relationship with the prison,” said Abba. “Together we have worked to improve health and well-being, increase employability, reduce crime and combat reoffending rates.
“I’m proud to be at another cohort’s graduation today - it’s an amazing milestone in the inmates’ journey, having seen their progress over the past six weeks of the programme.”
The emphasis on employability qualifications is backed by data and research, highlighting employment and opportunity as the key drivers of purpose and value. In other words, these factors have a massive impact on inmates' propensity to reoffend.
Abba continued: “Each one of them has been trying to improve themselves and working hard to develop their skills and it’s been a hugely positive process, resulting in them gaining an FA Qualification and a Literacy Qualification.”
Upon release, 83 per cent of men in the UK leave prison without a job to go to. Sixty-four per cent of them reoffend within the first year. By providing the opportunity to gain these qualifications and using the power of football, the Twinning Project has proved successful in transmitting law-abiding values through football identity.
“Today was not only a celebration of success for the offender learners at HMP Chelmsford, but a demonstration of the power of football and what it can achieve,” said Twinning Project Relationship Lead Graeme Clark.
“The Twinning Project, together with West Ham United Foundation, have delivered a pilot Literacy programme at HMP Chelmsford to those previously disengaged offenders.
“These participants have achieved outcomes that are commendable and rewarding for all of us involved. It epitomises our slogan 'Don't look down on someone, unless you are helping them up'."
Collins, who has been actively supporting the Foundation’s community initiatives since retiring in 2020, was pleased to attend the graduation event.
He said: “It’s been a really interesting experience and I think what the Foundation and HMP Chelmsford have created here, through the Twinning Project, is so impressive.”
Reflecting on the significance of the programme, he concluded: “There are so many things that happen in people’s lives that can lead to criminality, and to be able to see some of the work that is going on to rehabilitate inmates and help them to establish a better life for themselves in the future has been really eye opening.
“I’m pleased I could help to celebrate the graduation today and congratulate the inmates while also recognising the wider team that have been leading the programme.”
