Christmas paintings and crafts decorated by inmates at Isle of Man Prison are to go on display at Castle Rushen during December as part of Christmas in Castletown. Several pieces of work completed during creative classes at Isle of Man Prison will be on view at Castle Rushen from this weekend on 3, 4, 10, 11 and 17 December. The work includes large festive paintings and children’s games, decorated by inmates. Jade Foster, Public Services Assistant for Manx National Heritage visited Isle of Man Prison last week to view progress on the artworks. Jade said: “Manx National Heritage has worked with Isle of Man Prison on a number of projects ranging from educational talks to this latest initiative, which forms part of the Prison Arts Project and makes a valuable contribution to Christmas in Castletown. It was extremely impressive to see the artwork and items decorated by the prisoners, we are looking forward to seeing them on display”. Judy Jackson, Isle of Man Prison Education Manager said: “We are always pleased to take part in work for charity. We have two Art/Craft classes specifically for that purpose. Prisoners see it as a way of giving something back to the community. We are always happy to hear from anyone who wants work done, although in the current financial climate we can only work on projects where materials are provided”. Isle of Man Prison has purpose-built education and vocational training facilities including classrooms, and workshops. Classes are taught by tutors and aimed at being therapeutic and artistically satisfying, with the Christmas in Castletown project also providing valuable benefits to the local community. ENDS