A Dumfries prison officer has been honoured for his work to train prisoners in joinery – allowing them to both contribute to the local community and provide them with the skills to find work upon release.
Davie McKie received the prestigious Butler Trust commendation award from HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne. Launched in 1985, the Butler Trust Awards recognise the often unseen, yet extraordinary work of individuals in prisons, probation and youth justice.
As an officer instructor within HMP Dumfries, Davie supports, trains, and assesses prisoners in Vocational Training (VT) Joiners, with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) saying his work provides ‘invaluable’ opportunities for individuals to gain qualifications and essential life skills to utilise upon release.
Many of the participants in the VT Joiners programme start with little or no joinery experience and may have never even worked with tools before, but SPS said Davie takes an approach of treating everyone as an individual and acknowledging their unique learning styles and abilities.Â
Over the years, he has built and maintained a network of partnerships throughout the local community including rotary clubs, schools, and hospitals. He collaborates closely with the local community payback team and various charitable organisations to support community initiatives.
The projects vary in size and complexity – from providing bags of firewood for winter warmth projects supporting the elderly, to creating activities and planters for children’s play areas. Davie recently partnered with a local school to design and build a pirate ship for children with additional needs. The project required those in SPS’ care to study and gain a deeper understanding of neurodiverse conditions, using this knowledge to design and construct a structure inclusive of everyone’s physical and sensory needs.
Described as an ‘extremely motivated’ member of staff, SPS added that Davie has shown a tremendous amount of dedication and commitment to his role to ensure that people in custody have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and contribute positively to their communities. He has also forged relationships with external partners and it is because of him that so many important projects have been delivered throughout the Dumfries and Galloway region, SPS added.
Davie said, “It was an honour to meet Princess Anne and receive the commendation, not just validation for my own contribution but also for my work party and everything we have done in the last year to help our community and give a little back. The ceremony was a great experience and one I will always remember.”
