Prisoners at HMP La Moye are being gifted a free festive photo shoot today (20 December), with the aim of reconnecting dads behind bars with their children this Christmas.

This is part of a joint project between James' Ark, a charity supporting separated families in the island, and Dreamcatcher Jersey Photography. 

It aims to give families precious mementos that they may be lacking to remind them of the important people in their lives. 

The project co-ordinators, James Cunningham and Aneta Jeziorska-Entwistle, hope this will allow families to feel closer together, even though they may be physically apart.

An iteration of the project took place last weekend (14 December) where separated families in the island were invited to reconnect in a photoshoot. 

James Cunningham, founder of James' Ark, tells us why it was so important to him to offer this service to inmates:

"Prisoners will be able to get a photo together with their children up at the family visits, which they can then put in their cell wall.

"It's almost like a motivation for rehabilitation and a new start to life.

"I've seen quite a lot of dads that I've been working with transforming and saying to themselves - 'If I'm going to change, it's going to be for them.'"

The event is running between 3.30 - 7.00pm today at the prison. It is free for families, but donations are welcome.