The FTA Fashion Hub in Leicester continues to break new ground in social impact and skills development, most recently by providing specialist training to Workshop Leader in Prison Education – Mohamed.
Mohamed will be leading on the Bearing-Gifts workshop at HMP Leicester. This powerful initiative will see prison residents transform off-cut fabrics into hand-crafted teddy bears – merging sustainability with rehabilitation in a meaningful and creative way.
The Bearing-Gifts project was founded by a prison resident and is built on a deceptively simple but profound idea: that rehabilitation begins with purpose. Each stitch not only contributes to a finished product but helps foster key life skills such as patience, focus, and pride – qualities that are essential for personal transformation, yet often undervalued in traditional prison education models.
Mohamed has gained training with the FTA Fashion Hub team, including Jo Bean, Puja, and Divya Kamath. The training was delivered as part of FTA’s ongoing commitment to equipping change makers with the tools they need to deliver hands-on learning that creates real impact behind prison walls.
Divya Kamath, Operational Manager at the FTA Fashion Hub, remarked: “We are delighted to train Mohamed. We are committed to supporting him with all the skills necessary to train the prisoners in this Bearing-Gifts project and help him achieve outstanding success.”
The collaboration highlights how creative education and rehabilitation can intersect to create opportunities where traditional systems often fall short, especially in the face of increasing budget cuts in prison education.
The Bearing-Gifts project not only gives new life to discarded textiles but offers residents a chance to rebuild their own lives through the power of making. It’s a shining example of how creative industries, when paired with purpose-driven leadership, can foster real, lasting change.
Mohamed expressed his gratitude to Fashion-Enter, the FTA training team, and his wider support network, including Laura Pacey and Helen Cox, for helping to bring the initiative to life.