A charity founded by First Dates' maître d'hôtel Fred Sirieix, which has partnered up with training provider NOVUS Cambria and DesignLSM to transform prison staff canteens into high-end restaurants, has plans for one to open within HMP Berwyn Prison in Wrexham.
The Right Course, created by Sirieix, aims to provide industry-standard training, support and employment opportunities for people in prison.
Speaking previously of his charity and what it does, the French Gordon, Gino and Fred's Road Trip star said: "The Right Course’s aim is to reduce both re-offending and the staff shortage in hospitality. Our learners can help plug this gap, if they are given the chance. Our learners play their part by using their sentencing to reskill but we need to give them the right support and opportunities so that they can make the right steps upon release. Right now is the perfect time to start a career in the hospitality industry”
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The project is due to launch later this month (March 2023) after the charity and its partners successfully refurbished and launched the staff canteen at HMP Wormwood Scrubs in 2021.
Holly Hallam, the managing director of the company DesignLSM, said of this new project: "Continuing our support of this fantastic initiative, DesignLSM are thrilled to be bringing their expertise of strategic planning and immersive design to this exciting project.
"The Right Course are not only having an incredibly positive impact on the lives of inmates, but they are also tackling the ever-present struggle in hospitality staffing that we are facing with many of our clients. We are very proud to be involved.”
Adding to this, Fred Sirieix has joined forces with Only A Pavement Away charity - which aims to connect employers in hospitality with people facing homelessness, veterans struggling to get ito work and prison leavers - and restaurant brands such as Gaucho, which is opening a brand new restaurant in Cardiff, on the site of All Saints on the Hayes, in May.
This news comes soon after Cardiff's own Prison-based canteen The Clink, which was run by The Clink Charity, and became a well-known and much-loved fine-dining restaurant that constantly received rave reviews, closed as a result - it was understood at the time - of the lease not being renewed. Read more on that here.
The new restaurant concept will be located at HMP Berwyn Prison, Wrexham Industrial Estate, Bridge Rd N, Wrexham LL13 9QE
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