Clink Restaurant in Cardiff to close after 10 years

The Clink Restaurant, which was run by prisoners at HMP Cardiff, is to close after ten years.

It is understood the restaurant’s lease is set to expire and cannot be renewed, and the venue will shut its doors at Christmas.

The Clink Charity was founded in 2010 and its restaurants in working prisons are staffed by inmates and open to the public. The Clink Restaurant in Cardiff launched in 2012.

The group said it would maintain its presence in Wales through its Clink Kitchens scheme, which trains inmates in prison kitchens to become qualified to work in hospitality after their release. This will expand into HMP Cardiff and HMP Swansea over the next year.

Yvonne Thomas, chief executive of the Clink Charity, said: “It’s a sad day for us – Wales is such an important part of The Clink. Over the last 10 years, we have trained more than 400 serving prisoners and people on probation, helped them to get and keep jobs, and to stop people offending.

“We would like to thank our customers and patrons in Wales for their wonderful support over the last 10 years. We look forward to continuing our work in Wales training people who have offended in partnership with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.”

The charity continues to run Clink Restaurants at HMP Brixton in London, HMP Sutton in Surrey and HMP Styal in Cheshire.