Steve Schofield is a Detention Custody officer at Colnbrook IRC He joined Serco 5 years ago after spending 6 years working as a chauffer. He plays a major part in the garden that has been recently created by the residents. He transferred from the residential staff group to the activities team in order to work more closely with the residents.
 

Custodial Review    What has been your involvement with this new garden area and why did you get involved?
Steve Schofield         I have always been involved in some sort of horticulture, my father had allotments and I have had one for 6 or 7 years. I heard about the proposal and was told about it by Jackie Smart. I was then offered the chance to get involved in changing this exercise yard into a garden.
 

Custodial Review    What were you given to work with- other than a 25 mtr square exercise yard?
Steve Schofield         It was an interesting time. At first we only had one shovel, one broom and a huge amount of soil to be shifted. So there was a lot of sharing and discussion on who would be using what! Jackie and her team had done the tough bit of getting it all agreed and the plans in place. The design work had been done and it was left to me and the residents to turn it into reality before the planned opening day six weeks later!

Custodial Review    What do you have in the garden and how will it develop for next year?
Steve Schofield         As this is the first year we have concentrated on fast growing plants that give rapid results, these include sunflowers and ground covering plants. We are growing some vegetables such as potatoes and lettuce. Next year we are going to extend the vegetable plot and create a lot more hanging baskets for the Centre. We have some this year however the very dry weather has meant we have had to bring them in for some TLC. We are building some planters for around the edge of the pathways, we will grow cabbages and lettuces in them. Around the back of the workshop we will grow beans, marrows and pumpkins.
 

Custodial Review    What will all this produce be used for? I can recall people growing these items and then finding there was nothing to do with them as few people like pumpkin and marrow that much!
Steve Schofield         The  plan at the moment is to have a cultural kitchen that the detainees will use to cook their own culture’s food. So they will be used in there. This will enable a large amount of different foodstuffs to be grown and used. The residents will be able to show their culinary skills with food that is very fresh.
 

Custodial Review.    I’m going to play devils advocate here; it usually takes months for vegetables to grow to the point where they can be eaten, so surely the detainee will not be here to see them harvested?
Steve Schofield         Some will have departed, however it serves the purpose of keeping people engaged and active for the time they are here, and others will still be able to harvest and cook the food. All of this represents activities many of them have never done before. Its amazing to see the faces of the people involved when they see seeds they planted germinating. It should be the same when they flower and then produce food.
 

Custodial Review    How many staff and residents are you employing to do the work and what do they do?
Steve Schofield         We do a morning education session and I also have 3 residents who along with the help of Vinnie Loi, DCO built the workshop. I teach by demonstrating how to do the work myself by planting two or three then I let them try it themselves. They will do the whole process from preparing the seed trays, to thinning out and planting out. They will also learn rotation, pruning and how to keep the plants healthy. I started with something simple, it was marigold seeds I had preserved at home from last year.
 

Custodial Review    Have you had any official training on this subject?
Steve Schofield         No, Just what I learnt from my father, from books and the internet and from actually doing it for so many years.

Thank you very much for talking to the Review.