Prisoners have united to form a choir in a bid to combat stress and improve their mental health.

The majority of inmates at the County Road jail in Maidstone are foreign nationals, and face an unclear future, with many of them set to be deported at the end of their sentences.

That stress and uncertainty has led to growing fears of self-harm at HMP Maidstone, with figures revealing there were 91 such cases at the Category C prison last year.

To try and help combat the rise, the Choirs Beating Time charity is working with jails across the country to establish singing sessions and aid the prisoners’ rehabilitation.

Last week, KentOnline's sister newspaper the Kent Messenger was invited behind the prison walls to attend a concert, where seven inmates from all corners of the globe - under the stage name, The Jammers - recited classics by Elvis Presley and Bill Withers, as well as self-penned songs.

One inmate - Reuben, from Bolivia - has enjoyed his eight months with the choir so much he is looking to produce an album he has been writing while in his cell when he is released.

Meanwhile, Nicholas, from Singapore, performed a self-composed ballad during the concert, which he reveals he wrote in just half an hour earlier in the week.

“When the inspiration comes, it comes,” he said. “It’s a really good release, it’s good for the soul, and it makes you feel free.

"Some people may be apprehensive about singing, but how do you know you don’t like it if you don’t try?”

The Jammers practice together once a week with musical director Dom Stichbury, and have developed a real camaraderie, according to long-serving inmate, Jose, from Colombia.

“Sometimes I forget I’m in jail,” he said. “We’re all good friends and we support each other - it makes us feel human again.

“The songs remind me of things from before I arrived here, and prepare you for the future - when I can sing to my mum, to my family and to girls.”

The project is the brainchild of Choirs Beating Time founder, Heather Phillips, who has masterminded similar schemes at four other prisons as well as Maidstone.

She said: “We often forget how powerful music is in sharing emotions - just look at the Manchester memorial where they chose to sing.

“It’s a great way to safely express things that are difficult to let out in places like this.

“For a lot of people, by the time they get to prison, it’s the end of a long path of being excluded, whether that’s from school or living in care, and constantly being told you don’t fit in and you don’t belong. But there’s a huge sense of belonging in a choir.”