Maghaberry Prisoners Build Lighthouse To Shine Light On Charity

Prisoners in Maghaberry have built a ten-foot-tall lighthouse which will help shine a spotlight on the convalescent work of a cancer charity near Larne.

The wooden structure, which took several months to construct in Maghaberry Prison, was this week relocated to Hope House Cottage on the beach at Browns Bay, Islandmagee.

Hope House is a registered charity providing free self-catering accommodation by the sea for adults with cancer.

Eight prisoners from Maghaberry and three prison instructors worked on the lighthouse which is modelled on the Hope House crest. Supported by dozens of other prisoners and staff in the prison's kitchen, horticulture and recycling workshops, they also raised £4,000 for the charity.

Maghaberry Governor David Savage said: "It's been a challenging time for a lot of people during the pandemic and especially for those who find themselves in prison. But through purposeful activity we have been helping those in our care and supporting them in their efforts to give something back to the community where they will return to.

"When we were asked by one of our staff who was a friend of the Hope House charity, if we could do anything for them, we were only too delighted to do so.

"The prisoners built the lighthouse over several months, and to raise some money for the charity many more prisoners made hanging baskets in the horticulture workshop, tray-bakes in the prison kitchen which were sold to staff and various groups, and collected and sold waste material from Maghaberrry's recycling facility."