'We don't normally get to see our children play'

THE enormous cardboard box in the corner of the room is full of toys - brand new and cellophane-wrapped.The three women are as excited as children on Christmas morning. They rummage around, pulling out one thing after another. First come the books, then the jigsaws, puzzles and musical instruments.

The toys have been delivered just a few hours earlier for The Millennium Parent and Child Trust - a group formed by inmates at Low Newton Prison to improve the quality of their children's visits.

Committee members Claire Valters, Melanie Storey and Bev Swales are unpacking and inspecting the contents of the box, which are all educational and cater for children of all ages and abilities.

"I just can't believe it," says 31-year-old Bev, grinning as she looks through some of the storybooks. "In this place, you tend not to believe things until they happen but the fact we've actually got the toys shows we're really getting there."

Most of the women at Low Newton are mothers but the time they spend with their children is strictly limited. The trust aims to make the most of the youngsters' visits by buying equipment and organising events that will enable mums to be involved with their child's learning and development.

Thirty-two-year-old Melanie, a former drug dealer, is serving an eight-year sentence for manslaughter after administering a fatal dose of heroin to one of her customers but because she is from the North-East, she gets to see her children every fortnight. For the other two, visits are restricted to school holidays.

"One of the worst things about being in prison is having to leave your children behind," says 25-year-old Claire, who hasn't seen her four-year-old daughter for over a month.

"It's devastating because you miss out on so much of their growing up. Every time you see them, they've changed. It's like you're not really a part of their lives any more. We want to do something about that."

The project will be officially launched on Thursday with a fun learning day at the prison. Activities will include trampolining and an assault course, as well as a children's entertainer.

Bev says: "It's very hard for mothers to actually spend any quality time with their kids. On normal visits, you're completely limited as to what you can do. It's only an hour-and-a-half and you can't even do simple things for them like get them a drink or take them to the toilet.

"This will give them a chance to spend four-and-a-half hours together. The officers won't be wearing uniform so it will be a lot more relaxed, much more of a normal environment. You'll be able to get involved with them playing and learning and see them playing with other children - all the things you don't normally get to see."

Claire adds: "It's going to make a massive difference. There isn't a lot of hope in here. People often just give up but this is something they can look forward to. We all are and so are the other prisoners."

The trust is aiming to hold learning fun days once a month.

The first batch of toys, on long-term loan from the County Durham Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, will be used primarily for these events but the committee is hoping to secure funding that will allow them to buy toys for regular visits.

The project started in July after Martin Dajoux, learning prison partnership co-ordinator, met representatives from organisations including the Learning and Skills Council and the Durham Foundation, who wanted to improve the women's visits, especially for the children.

"I just put posters up asking for mothers who were interested and I got a fantastic response," he explains. "We got a group of women together and explained what could be done for them but also explained that the women had to help themselves. That's exactly what they did.

"They came up with the idea for the trust and for the committee, they drew up the constitution and they applied for funding.

"It annoys me when people talk about outside organisations just throwing money at the women. They haven't at all. The women have applied for grants in exactly the same way as anyone else. They haven't been pampered in any way. They've just worked really hard and they've been successful."

Similar schemes exist in prisons elsewhere in the country but this is the first to be managed entirely by prisoners.

There are seven women on the committee, although only two of the original members are left.

"Because the committee is going to be changing all the time, we've really had to lay firm foundations so it doesn't just stop when people leave," says Melanie.

"This is something we want to see carry on after we've gone and there's no reason why it shouldn't."

Committee meetings take place every two weeks although there are other informal meetings and tasks which take up a lot of the members' free time. They're also learning about everything from forming a constitution to child protection and working with the media.

Bev says: "We have had so much support both from the prison and from outside groups. We couldn't have done it without them but we've put in a lot of hard work ourselves."

And although the scheme is up and running, they know they have to sustain the momentum. They're constantly looking and applying for new sources of funding and they've written to dozens of toy companies asking for donations.

"We haven't had any replies yet but we're going to keep trying," says Melanie, demonstrating the determination that characterises the group's activities. This, combined with boundless enthusiasm, seems certain to make the project succeed.

Martin says: "Because it's something the women have done themselves, I think it's more likely to work. The other benefit is that it has allowed them to take responsibility and make decisions themselves.

"I have noticed a huge difference over the last couple of months in their self-esteem. When we first started, it was 'Mr Dajoux, can we do this, can we do that?' but now they come and tell me what they're doing and I'm expected to support them. It's a complete role reversal and it's great to see.