AN inter-faith project to provide mentors for female prisoners on release from jail was launched yesterday.

The Open Gate Mentoring Project provides volunteers to befriend women during their time at Low Newton Prison and Young Offenders' Institution, then support them once they are on the outside.

The project was launched yesterday at Durham County Hall during an event attended by the Right Reverend Kevin Dunn, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, the Rt Rev John Pritchard, Bishop of Jarrow, regional offender manager Mitch Egan and Roberta Blackman-Woods, MP for Durham City.

Ms Blackman-Woods: "I am really delighted to be able to support this project. Open Gate provides a unique mentoring service to women prisoners.

"The women mentors help women offenders put their lives back together. Too many vulnerable women are ending up in prison and this project can help repair some of the damage and support women as they rebuild their lives and enable them to make a new start."

Bishop Dunn said: "This project enables the faith communities to work together so that the women volunteers can be bridge-builders, enabling and supporting women ex-offenders in their return to the community rather than being labelled and pushed to the margins.

"I hope this project will go from strength to strength and be a beacon of women supporting and helping women."

The pioneering project was established by retired prison chaplain Elizabeth McGurk, who said: "This is a chance for local people to play a part in improving their communities by supporting women prisoners to turn their lives around."