Bad Boys' Bakery
Initially set up by well-known chef Gordon Ramsay, Bad Boys’ Bakery is a social enterprise run within HMP Brixton by Working Links and funded by the European Social Fund, that gives serving offenders support, skills and qualifications and most importantly helps to find them relevant employment on release, cutting reoffending rates.
Bad Boys’ Bakery’s main objective is to deliver practical and life skills, preparing offenders for reintegration into society.
These include an NVQ in Food Production, work experience and other key skills such as time management and responsibility, leading to a sense of self-belief that the ‘Boys’ need to turn their lives around.
The project has already seen some great results, with almost one-in-three (33 per cent) moving from the Bakery into some form of employment (around half of these in the hospitality and catering industry), and only 3 per cent re-offending within the first year – significantly lower than the national average of 47%. Due to its success Bad Boys Bakery has plans for expansion, and hopes to be a self-sustaining business in the future.
One of the learners said: “I was granted release on temporary licence while working for the Bakery, and the employer services team set me up with a job opportunity in a local restaurant. Upon release the restaurant offered me full time employment, and I accepted the job with absolute pleasure. The Bakery has led me to a better position in life and I can now support my family and daughter without making the mistakes of crime I had previously.”