How origami is helping prisoners in Wiltshire rehabilitate

Helen Holtam MBE started origami classes for inmates at Erlestoke Prison in 2017

In a prison in Wiltshire, inmates have been crafting swans, doves, stars and penguins from paper - helping themselves, but also raising money for prisoner rehabilitation.

The person who started teaching it has now been appointed an MBE after she started origami classes there.

Helen Holtam is part of the Friends of Erlestoke Prison and began the classes in 2017.

"On Friday mornings, there's special classes, just fun classes for the prisoners," she said.

Helen had taught challenging school pupils before so took on the task:

"I made it a safe place for everyone to come," she said. "There were some rules - you know, everyone had to be kind. They folded and folded."

Origami stars are among the items made

Explaining why it has been a success, she described prison as "very hard, you don't have phone or internet, you have a lot of rules.

"All it needs is paper. I would teach them simple models in the class," she added.

"They made lots of cards. They would learn a model and take paper back to their cells. In lockdown, they were 22 hours in their cells, so it was something easy and satisfying they could do."

It has not just been a welcome activity though - the work itself has made around £50,000 for the Friends of Erlestoke Prison for rehabilitation.

Cards with origami are one of the items made by the group that have done well when being sold

Helen said: "There were some very long term, committed people - when they realised it could raise money as well, it was very satisfying. They knew it was going to a better cause."

The origami is sold on a website they developed called Origami Inside.

During the pandemic, the classes had to stop. Then Helen moved - except the prisoners have carried on.

"I send in the materials, then they send me back the finished stuff which I send out to orders," she explained.

With Helen, the group made lots of paper doves for an installation at Salisbury Cathedral

Their work has also been featured in public, for example, prisoners contributed paper doves to a huge installation in Salisbury Cathedral in 2018.

They also regularly decorate a tree for the annual Christmas Tree Festival at St Thomas's Church in Salisbury.

Cards made by the group even won a silver award at the 2019 Koestler Awards for prisoners.

Origami has been made for an annual Christmas tree festival in Salisbury

The organisation asked those who joined what they made of it, with feedback ranging from it being an "escape", to it being something where one can "relax and yet still be focused".

"Whether in the class or substituting wasted time in front of the TV back in my cell," one inmate said. "It's not every week that you can look back and see the benefits of your time, with origami you can as it's in front of you."

Mrs Holtam remembered one telling her: "In 12 years in prison, I've forgotten who I was for a whole morning."