Perfume Stories at HMP Holme House
Adult Provision Arts & Enrichment
Towards the end of 2023, HMP Holme House received a visit from Carvansons, the creators of Perfume Stories, who wanted to see a session in action.
What is Perfume Stories?
The project, Perfume Stories: The Time Travellers, is a selection of multi-sensory and storytelling workshops based around scents and perfumes, working with prisoners within the UK prison system.
The sessions take place over several weeks, where learners are tasked with smelling the perfumes and fragrances. They are then encouraged to make connections between the history and context of the fragrances, whilst also sharing their own thoughts and opinions on the perfumes.
Providing unique opportunities for learners to engage with education
During the visit, Carvansons met the staff who were involved in the Perfume Stories project and headed to the Bistro on-site, where they were able to take a look at the Perfume Stories inspired menu and enjoy lunch with our staff.
After lunch, the team from Carvansons were invited to take a look at the learners work that was being displayed in the staffroom, in regard to the project. Staff had the opportunity to engage with the creators of Perfume Stories and talk about the fantastic work learners had created as part of the project.
After interacting with the staff, the team from Carvansons worked with seven learners on a Coca-Cola session, which was part of the project. All learners who took part were engaged and thoroughly enjoyed the session with a couple commenting positively on the experience:
Different-invoked memories, I liked learning about the history of perfumery.
It put our noses to the test!
Carvansons were thankful for the opportunity to visit HMP Holme House and run a session themselves with the learners. So much so, they would like to come back!
Providing opportunities like Perfume Stories encourages learners to think and learn in a non-traditional way and nurture their creative skills.
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