FCSI members donate kit worth £50,000 to the Clink Charity

FCSI UK & Ireland Allied members have donated more than £50,000 of equipment to the Clink Charity's fourth prison restaurant at HMP Styal, to help rehabilitate female prisoners through front-of-house and chef training.

The new catering facilities, which opened on 20 April, were designed by FCSI UK & Ireland professional member Andrew Powis of Sterling Foodservice Design and features kitchen equipment donated or subsidised by 14 FCSI members.

Chris Moore, chief executive of the Clink Charity, said: "We receive very generous support from our suppliers and the industry as a whole, especially from FCSI members, who have yet again collectively either donated equipment or sold it to us at a greatly reduced price. The FCSI members involved have all helped to bring our vision for the Clink Restaurant at HMP Styal to life and we are extremely grateful for their ongoing support."

The Clink Charity is a not-for-profit venture that aims to reduce reoffending rates of ex-offenders by training and placing graduates upon their release into the hospitality industry. In 2014, the Clink Charity welcomed over 36,000 customers through the doors of its restaurants at HMP High Down, HMP Cardiff and HMP Brixton and hopes to significantly grow this figure with the opening at HMP Styal.