Prisoners give Beachfields a spring spruce up
Published
Friday 15 May, 2026
Updated
Monday 18 May, 2026
The entrance to Beachfields in Sheerness has received a spring spruce up thanks to HMP Standford Hill’s Active Citizenship Together (ACT) scheme.
Volunteer offenders from the prison on the Isle of Sheppey go out and clean the borough’s alleyways, cemeteries, canals, beaches, and allotments each Tuesday.
The prisoners joined forces with Swale Borough Council’s Sheerness Revival project, by litter picking, clearing fly-tipping and weeding the area near the healthy living centre and repainting the railings and bollards at the entrance of Beachfields car park.
The council’s £20 million government funded Sheerness Revival project aims to improve the health and wellbeing, education and leisure facilities on the Island and create new employment and training opportunities for local people.
This includes a recently completed extension to the nearby EKC Sheppey college, brand new, modern, gym and health facilities at Beachfields and new makers studios for young entrepreneurs to receive support while starting their businesses.
The Sheerness Revival project enlisted the prisoners’ help because the ACT scheme is a step in their rehabilitation – teaching new skills while giving them the opportunity to contribute positively to Swale’s communities.
The prisoner volunteer scheme has proven to be a success over its 20 years of running, helping keep Swale tidy.
The initiative is funded with money brought in through the council’s fixed penalty notices for waste related crimes, meaning people who fly-tip can help pay for the clean-up of their mess.
So far this year the prisoners have:
- helped clear fly-tipping and cut-back the overhanging greenery from Alma Street Passage, Sheerness
- cleared leaves, removed weeds, and picked litter from the path running alongside the Avenue of Remembrance in Sittingbourne.
- cleared 4 tonnes of dirt from pathways, did weeding and litter picked at Johnson House Gardens
- spread fresh woodchips over the paths at the Faversham Recreation Ground so they are refreshed and looking great for summer
- planted trees at the Milton Rec and Barton’s Point Coastal Park, helping boost the biodiversity of Swale’s important green spaces
Cllr Dolley Wooster, chair of the council’s environmental services and climate change committee, said:
“The ACT scheme is an extremely positive way for prisoners to give back to the community while building skills, a sense of purpose, and helping them along their rehabilitation journey.
“It is amazing to see that the scheme has been able to help with our ambitious Sheerness Revival project, working to improve the lives of people living in Sheerness through a £20 million investment.
“The volunteer prisoners will continue their hard work across the borough as they make improvements to Swale each week.”
