BSW Timber has partnered with Roderick James Architects (RJA) to complete a remarkable building project which saw ex-offenders put to work.

Working alongside local housing associations and charities, BSW provided timber materials needed to construct the R-Affordable House, which now stands completed at Lochaline in Scotland following a one-year build.

Initiated and managed by RJA, the scheme saw four ex-offenders employed over a one-year period in the first of what the organisation hopes will lead to many similar projects. 

Roderick James, owner of Roderick James Architects, said: “The affordable houses we have built with help from BSW have been a great success, both from a constructional viewpoint and as presenting an opportunity to provide employment and training for ex-offenders.

“The site, Plot 16 at Achabeag, was designed to use as much wood as possible. It even included boarded walls and was ideal for our use of unskilled builders.

“Three of the four ex-offenders we employed have now moved on to full-time roles at external organisations, one has even been offered a permanent role as an estate manager – these are opportunities which would not have come their way was it not for the invaluable experience they gained.”

Rory Stewart, MP for Penrith and the Borders, where BSW Timber’s Carlisle sawmill is based, and Prisons Minister, said: “It is fantastic to see ex-offenders being reintegrated into their communities in such a positive way. I believe this approach is the way forward – certainly the evidence suggests that rehabilitation helps to curb the reoffending rate of ex-prisoners, so it is great to see companies such as Roderick James and BSW engaging with ex-offenders in this manner.”

Ex-offenders find it extremely difficult to get regular employment but statistics show that those not in work are more likely to re-offend. The R-Affordable House project aimed to address this and the shortfall in affordable housing by bringing the two together.

Hamish MacLeod, head of public affairs at BSW Timber, said: “We were more than happy to support this ambitious project which demonstrated that ex-offenders could and should be given the opportunity to build a quality, affordable home.

“The house has an astonishing feeling of light, space and texture and has already received praise from visitors.”

The R-Affordable House project follows another joint venture between RJA and BSW; The SchoolHouse project which took place at Burlington Danes Academy in London.

The scheme saw schoolchildren aged 11 plus build a three-bedroom property in their grounds using simple woodwork techniques under the supervision of specialist carpenters. The ‘house’, which took two years to complete, is now used for pastoral care.