WHAT WE DO
Sing Inside delivers group singing workshops in prisons, connecting volunteers drawn from the local community with their local prison communities. Our workshops use musical learning to build confidence, break down social stigma and create and strengthen communities.
Sing Inside exists to facilitate humanising engagement between people. We believe group singing has a unique power to build trust and understanding of one another, challenge stereotypes and build social skills.
OUR MODEL
Cambridge
Hub
EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
Oxford
Hub
Staffordshire
Hub
York
Hub
Our model works outwards from our Executive Committee, which oversees and manages Sing Inside’s local hubs. Local committees of volunteers drawn from universities, community groups and choirs in the area organise visits in their area. These local groups are supported and trained by the executive team to create a strong network of prison partnerships under the Sing Inside umbrella.
OUR HISTORY
2014 - visits begin to HMP Bedford, run by Cambridge Education and Outreach (CamEO) and funded by the Faculty of Music
2015 - we expand into HMP Wayland. Funding from CamEO is significantly reduced
2016: fundraise over £10,000, through a Three Peaks Challenge and various other events. Expand into George Mackenzie House
March 2018 - we expand into Oxford, and form our first committee.
Thanks to some generous donations, we expand into HMP Stafford, HMP Woodhill, HMP Chelmsford and HMP Thameside
March 2019 - we receive charitable status and have our first success in grant funding to support further expansion into Staffordshire.
July - we run our first multi-day project in HMP Whitemoor, followed by our second in HMP Huntercombe in December
We begin expanding our student committee models into York and Staffordshire
December 2014 - expand into HMP Whitemoor
Feb 2016 - Sing Inside is founded! Initially, we were a student society at the university of Cambridge
2017: our executive committee form in February to manage expansion into Oxford, after a very generous donation from New College.
We expand into three new prisons - HMP Highpoint, HMP Peterborough and HMP The Mount.
In November 2018, we submit an application to the Charity Commission to become a registered foundation CIO, and recruit our first board.
We expand into HMP Oakwood, HMP Long Lartin, HMP Full Sutton, HMP Huntercombe, HMP Bullingdon, HMP Send
2020 - we expand into HMP Warren Hill, and have plans to begin work in HMP Sudbury, HMP Kirkham and more.