Inmates at HMP Shotts who volunteer for the prison’s peer-to-peer counselling service can lodge that time with the Castlemilk Timebank in Glasgow, the first of its kind in the UK.

The hours banked are used to benefit vulnerable residents, the prisoners helping with everything from transport to household chores.

The Timebank was established to promote community involvement and help rebuild a sense of community spirit within Castlemilk. The project at HMP Shotts uses the same ethos to improve prisoner wellbeing and self-esteem.

Visiting the prison, Mr MacAskill said: “There is an opportunity for a win-win situation: those serving time in prison have been given

an opportunity to improve themselves and provide for the communities they will return to. Equally, there are hard-pressed communities benefiting from the free time these individuals are giving.”

Under the scheme, which was launched in March 2007, about 600 hours have been donated from HMP Shotts. One person who has directly benefited is Castlemilk resident Kit Barclay, 82.

Mrs Barclay said: “I’ve recently been rehoused and I was incapable of anything. I’ve had so many volunteers from Timebank it’s unbelievable. They’ve been scraping paper and painting. I don’t have a phone installed at the moment so they’ve been making phone calls for me as well.”

Mrs Barclay was also on hand yesterday to thank two of the prisoners who donated their time. One inmate, David, said: “We’re all in here for doing things we regret. This is trying to make some sort of amends to the community in general.”