- Area:
- UK-wide
- Programme:
- Millennium Now
- Release date:
- 9 4 2013
Glamorous TV presenter and acid attack victim Katie Piper reconciles her personal emotions about crime and punishment as she helps rehabilitate prisoners in the next Secret Millions episode on Sunday.
Channel 4 viewers will discover trials and tribulations as Katie works with Acumen to try and establish a carpentry business providing jobs for ex-offenders struggling to find work, while being secretly assessed for a £2million grant by the Big Lottery Fund.
The project features in the fourth episode of the brand new TV series, The Secret Millions and airs at 8pm on Sunday 14 April. The series sees the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) team up with Channel 4 to highlight radical ideas for tackling some of Britain’s big issues. The projects are secretly assessed by BIG and if successful they can turn their ideas into reality with a share of The Secret Millions £10 million funding pot, the largest amount ever handed out on a Channel 4 series.
With ninety percent of prisoners serving a short sentence being repeat offenders, Acumen thinks they have an idea to reduce this risk: by expanding their carpentry workshop in Durham prison to offer ex-offenders jobs manufacturing and marketing high-end furniture from a local community centre.
Katie meets several individuals trying to sort themselves out who speak candidly about how tough life is after prison and how easy it is to fall back into a life of crime when a criminal record puts employers off hiring you and confidence levels are low.
Peter Wanless, Big Lottery Fund Chief Executive, who took part in the filming process, said: “BIG recognises the challenges people face putting their lives back together after spending time in prison. BIG has a history of funding projects that work to rehabilitate prisoners as without careful support it can prove difficult for them to face personal challenges as well as prejudice, however determined they may be to turn their lives around. Katie’s film is very inspiring as she confronts her own personal experiences in considering what might be done to help ex-offenders. Viewers will get a good insight into how tough it can be to give people a genuine chance to get their lives back on track.”
Kate Welch, Chief Executive, Acumen, said: “I am delighted the idea we have been developing with Durham Prison and Meadow Well Connected has been supported by BIG and Channel 4. Running a test social enterprise has given us the chance to try out our manufacturing for real and learn how to turn it into a sustainable business that will change communities by reducing reoffending and helping people turn their lives around.”
Channel 4’s Documentaries Commissioning Editor, Emma Cooper, said: “It has been fantastic to watch Channel 4 talent get behind these amazing causes. In such austere times these projects are making a real difference to people in the most far-reaching ways. We are proud to have been involved and this series highlights just how important it is to support ideas for successful, sustainable and social enterprises.”
Over the series, five projects will work with an enthusiastic and experienced team of Channel 4 experts – Gok Wan, Katie Piper, Jimmy Doherty, Dave Fishwick and George Clarke. www.channel4.com/secretmillions
The 5 x 60m series is produced by RDF Television (a Zodiak Media company) and Twenty Twenty (a Shed Media company). The executive producers are Tayte Simpson (RDF Television) and Meredith Chambers (Twenty Twenty).
Channel 4 for The Secret Millions: Cécile Quinney: 020 7306 1095 or cquinney@channel4.co.uk
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours media contact: 07867 500 572
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Ask BIG a question here: https://ask.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Follow BIG on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BigLotteryFund #BIGlf
Find BIG on facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFund
Notes to Editors
About the £10 million from the Big Lottery Fund
As part of the Big Lottery Fund making the £10 million available, the public was given a say on which issues they wanted to see funded. Launching a call-out in 2011, Channel 4 and the Big Lottery Fund asked people how they would spend £10 million of Lottery money in the current climate – via channel4.com/thebigdecision and commissioning a UK-wide Ipsos-Mori Poll of 2000 people. The results helped the Big Lottery Fund identify five charities who had devised exciting and innovative projects.
About the Big Lottery Fund (BIG)
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in 2004 BIG has awarded close to £6bn.
• The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £29 billion has now been raised and more than 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
This is the first time BIG has asked the public to help design and develop a grant programme from choosing the programme themes to the types of projects and beneficiaries they want funded.
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