Life in Lockdown

The Governor of HMP/YOI Chelmsford decided on a project during the pandemic entitled “Life in Lockdown”. The idea was that the prisoners would write poems or short descriptions about how lockdown made them feel and the difficulties they faced. The Governor asked Frances Osborn, a Customer Specialist in the prison library to lead the project. Despite the added challenge of having no access to the wings during this time, the project was a great success. Over 70 entries were received and below is a small selection of some lovely poems and words written by the men.

Winning poem by Reece Cruickshank

My life in lockdown was so hard to start with,
To not see my kids I feel so broken-hearted.
Locked in this room all day and all night,
With nothing but thoughts playing hard on my mind.
I’ve struggled a lot but I’ve tried to stay strong,
With nothing but time to think what I did wrong.
I can’t help but think have I missed my last chance
To turn it around, do I get a fresh start?
I’m missing my girlfriend, my cats and my mum
While I patiently wait for my sentence to come.

Read the other entries in the HMP/YOI Chelmsford prisoner poetry competition

Earth Poems

In preparation for our special Manifesto For Essex Exhibition we invited young people and the ‘young at heart’ to contribute a special Earth Poem to be displayed in one of our participating venues.

Read a selection of the Earth Poems we received.

You can also listen to some of the Earth Poems being read out by listening to the Chelmsford Community Radio Eco-Cast.