21 November 2018
Poinsettias grown by prisoners at La Moye will be delivered to supermarkets next week [Tuesday 27 November] for the run-up to Christmas.
La Moye is the only place in the Channel Islands that grows the houseplant, which is delivered each November to Co-op stores across the island.
It is the fourth year that La Moye has supplied poinsettias to the Co-op, with money re-invested in seeds, compost, tools and educational materials for prisoners.
Steve De Carteret, horticultural manager at La Moye, said that prisoners also grew vegetables and herbs to supply the prison kitchen. “Most prisoners will have had no previous experience of growing vegetables and plants,” he said.
“The horticultural staff are all qualified to teach and assess City and Guilds courses and our main aim is to ensure that when a prisoner returns to society they have a skill and hopefully a qualification that can be useful to a potential employee. Prisoners will, at some point, be released so a major part of our job is to ensure they are as well-equipped as they can be to provide a valuable contribution to society.
“Poinsettias are a notoriously difficult plant to grow as they are susceptible to all manner of pests and diseases. But because of that, it is very satisfying for the prisoners and the staff when they are fully grown and ready to put on sale.”
gov.je