A company in Sittingbourne is supporting a campaign encouraging businesses to look beyond the dark pasts of ex-criminals and addicts.

COOK, a frozen food manufacturer, employs ex-offenders and provides support regardless of the actions that put them behind bars.

The campaign More Than My Past has been launched by The Forward Trust who claim 75% of prisoners have no job on release, despite employment being the single biggest factor in reducing re-offending.

John Daynes, 38, found support through COOK after spending most of his adult life in and out of prison.

He said: "I was 15 years of age when I had my first prison sentence. So I was a young offender.

"When I came out of it I got addicted to heroin. And then at 17 it was crack cocaine."

After years of slipping back into a cycle of addiction and violent re-offending, John found support at COOK through its Ready and Working (RAW) talent programme.

When John first joined he found the difference in culture from prison overwhelming.

He said: "I was struggling a little bit when I entered, I thought they were going to look at my shadow and not give me that fighting chance. But I was really wrong.

"They embraced me, COOK has a collective responsibility to achieve the full potential of each other. One of the values is being part of the family."

The company's values were put to the test when an employee realised John was the person who had hospitalised him years before.

They sat down to have a conversation and decided to put the past behind them, and the two worked closely together for a number of years.

Annie Gale, the COOK's RAW talent manager, said the scheme is vital in discovering the potential of people with criminal pasts.

She said: "We're not really interested in their past, we're passionately interested in their future.

"Think about your biggest regret, and then imagine being known for that for the rest of your life. Where does that leave you?

"Why would we help people in prison? Why wouldn't we?

"If you can come up with a reasonable and sensible reason then great.

"But often the reason is a lack of understanding or a bit of prejudice."

John now lives in Maidstone and has a family.

Other schemes in Kent have been trying to prepare convicted criminals for employment before they are released.

Fareshare Kent enlists the help of 15 Category D prisoners from Standford Hill Prison as part of a 'working out' project.

The prisoners sort and distribute food donated by supermarkets and other organisations from the Ashford warehouse.

The scheme means offenders preparing for release have the opportunity to prove themselves in a working environment, giving them a fighting chance for success in employment in life after prison.

Leanne Crust is FareShare Kent's warehouse manager

A spokesman from the Ministry of Justice said: "We are delighted that COOK is joining the 730 businesses signed up to work with offenders and ex-offenders.

"By providing stable jobs to former prisoners, they are significantly increasing their opportunity to turn away from crime for good."

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