During February 2026, volunteer prisoners from HMP Standford Hill have been clearing away illegally dumped rubbish and litter from paths and alleyways across Sittingbourne and Sheerness. This work is part of the ‘Active Citizenship Together’ (ACT) community improvement project that focuses on tidying up local eyesores and public paths to make the area more pleasant for residents.
The volunteers carry out the cleaning work every Tuesday, focusing on public spaces such as the Avenue of Remembrance in Sittingbourne and Alma Street Passage in Sheerness. The teams also spend time clearing dumped furniture, carpets, and overgrown plants from cemeteries, canals, and allotments to make them cleaner and safer for the public to use.
This project is run in partnership with Swale Borough Council and is funded in a way that does not use extra money from taxpayers. Instead, the work is paid for using the cash collected from fines given to people who have been caught littering or dumping rubbish illegally in the borough.
Local officials recently increased these fines to 1,000 pounds to help tackle the high number of illegal dumping incidents in the area. A recent report from the HM Inspectorate of Prisons noted that the prison provides an “impressive and very safe environment” for the men taking part in the project.
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