An ex-convict says she has been given a “second chance” after a plant project helped her get a bank account and roof over her head.

Rhi, who asked us not to use her surname, was released this year and has since been working for The Glasshouse in Cranbrook.

“I didn't realise that I would love houseplants as much as I do,” she said.

“When you're in prison, everything from nature is removed. When you have access to it again, it suddenly has a new life.

“You see things that you never saw before. You smell things that you never smelt before.”

The 58-year-old had previously been in a closed prison and served two-and-a-half years.

“In there, I just had to do what they asked me to do,” she explained. “There's no self-value or self-worth.

“You are just functional. You are a human version of a machine, but here I don't feel like that at all.”

She added: “I think that I'm a very different person than I was when The Glasshouse first met me.

“At one point I honestly believed I would just have to get a tent and pay for fees on a campsite.

“That was what I thought my future would be.”

Melissa Murdoch and Kali Hamerton-Stove founded The Glasshouse in February 2020 after they discovered glasshouses in HMP East Sutton Park were not being used.

It is a category D open prison and Young Offender Institution (YOI) in Maidstone for women aged 18 and over.

Kali, 52, said: “I thought it was a completely insane idea at first.

“Women were being released homeless, they weren't able to find work and safe living facilities after leaving prison, which was leading to reoffending.

“Melissa thought they would make an amazing work facility for people to look at horticultural employment and help address some of those issues.”

Preparations are now under way after they were selected to feature in the upcoming Chelsea Flower Show.

In February, Kali received a call from Malvern Garden Buildings, who said they would be happy to sponsor them.

Their exhibit, called The Glasshouse Effect, will be made up of more than 2,000 plants. It will be in the Houseplant Studios area.

The five-day event at the Royal Hospital Grounds in south London is taking place next Tuesday until Saturday (May 25).

Bird cages have been decorated with items representing the dreams and hopes of the women currently in custody.

“We are trying to recreate the feeling of those first few greenhouses where we worked in prison,” Kali explained.

“But then as you walk through it becomes more verdant and full of plants. It’s emulating the growth of the women as they go through our programme.”

Between April 2022 and March 2023, just 30.4% of prisoners were employed six months after their release.

Despite this, the number has more than doubled (14%) since April 2021.

Rhi believes this is down to the opportunities they have access to after serving time.

She said: “How do you stay away from old habits? How do you earn some money? It's very difficult.

“I think that the problem I would have had was that I'm female, I'm of a certain age and I now have a criminal record.

“Those three things would have really barred me from people even reading my CV.”

“We want a second chance,” she added. “We want to step back into society.

“Lots of us had productive lives before we found ourselves in this position.”

Kali works with six to 10 women at a time. All of them have different sentence lengths, ranging from a year-and-a-half to more than 10 years.

As it is an open prison, offenders can apply to come out on day release for work or social leave.

Kali said: “Having some time in the community before they're on their own is a real benefit to them.

“They have to get used to how things have changed. Prison is a real black mark against them.

“When they go for a job interview or rent a house, that has to be part of what they tell people for disclosure purposes.

“It is really challenging for any woman, whether she was in for a year or 20 years, to find a second chance.”

Those who work during their time in prison receive around £2.50 to £4 a week.

Kali ensures those who are out on day release at her shop earn the national minimum wage.

“We look at a lot of things that could potentially be a hindrance to them being successful,” she added.

“The first thing we do is make sure they have a viable bank account. One of the big parts of our programme is making sure that they're earning enough.

“Four pound might be enough for them to buy an occasional luxury item or make-up, but it wouldn't be enough to save for release.”