HMP BERWYN are on the look out for new recruits to join their kitchen team. 

Caterers tired of working long nights in bars and restaurants are being encouraged to take their cooking skills into the kitchens of the Wrexham prison to help to reduce re-offending. 

HMP Berwyn is looking for qualified staff from the catering and hospitality sectors to join their team and help prisoners learn new skills. Making and eating good quality food has a real impact on prisoners’ morale, so prison caterers gain job satisfaction whilst avoiding long back-to-back shifts renowned in the rest of the industry. 

Alongside other hard working prison staff, Brendan Brownbill, 53, is playing a crucial role in supporting the prison system through challenging times, with prisons until recently close to full.

Staff will play a key role in rebuilding the prison system so that it is more effective at cutting reoffending rates among those leaving prison. 

Brendan, who is Head of Catering at HMP Berwyn, said: “I spent six years working as a chef in in the Armed Forces, including two years in Bosnia catering for the United Nations. I was later a head chef for five years at a well-known four-star hotel chain in Liverpool before joining the prison service at HMP Preston, where I worked for 20 years until 2022.

“In my current role at HMP Berwyn, I am responsible for catering for up to 2,000 prisoners and 170 staff and our team serves around 6,000 meals a day. 

“I work five days per week over a 37-hour weekly rota. It is a perfect role for chefs with families as you can be at home in evenings.

“Being a prison caterer is a great career with a very decent pension, which means one day I’ll be able to retire from the role.

“I love my job and would recommend prison service catering to anyone who loves a challenge and would relish the opportunity to help to reduce reoffending.”

As well as benefitting from a better work-life balance, prison caterers can combine their passion for catering with supporting prisoners’ rehabilitation.

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Far from just being responsible for preparing meals for prisoners, prison caterers work directly with them, helping them learn valuable new skills they can use when they return to their communities. 

All prison catering staff are trained to work safely and effectively with prisoners and roles also promise more stability, with staff benefitting from greater job security and a public sector pension. 

HMP Berwyn is looking for people who have experience of working in a large kitchen environment or catering for large numbers of people. Applicants also need good communication and team working skills, and to want to develop others.  

People who would like to take their catering career in a rewarding new direction can apply or find out more by visiting - https://prisonandprobationjobs.gov.uk/?utm_campaign=prc_catering_berwyn&utm_medium=media &utm_source=pr