May 2026
With a mission to free ex- offenders from the cycle of reoffending, Onwards and Upwards is giving prison leavers opportunities to learn valuable skills, leading to employment. And, as well as changing lives, the charity is bringing some highly appealing new concepts to the high street.
So far, two ventures, XO Bikes and XO Barbers, are helping ex-offenders channel their abilities into promising careers. XO Bikes teaches the skills needed to refurbish donated bikes, and to sell them in the charity’s London stores, while XO Barbers offers haircutting training in prisons, with jobs on the outside after release.
It doesn’t end there. As CEO Ian Priest explains, “We want to bring employment rates up generally. So as well as offering jobs in XO Bikes and XO Barbers, we work with businesses like Decathlon and bike repairer Fettle, and various barbers, opening up a bigger range of opportunities. We act like a funnel, encouraging the wider industry to consider employing prison leavers.”
With Brexit having triggered skills shortages in many sectors, taking on ex-offenders is making sense for employers, especially in areas such as construction and warehousing. But here, prison leavers are often hidden from the public. “We’ve deliberately avoided those areas,” continues Ian. “We create jobs where there’s interaction with consumers, because this changes the stigma that all prison leavers are bad. We’re saying, they’re not bad, they’ve just made bad decisions. And given a second chance, they can be incredibly entrepreneurial. We’re very much inspired by the way Timpson is proving this.”
Jason Koku, assistant manager at XO Bikes in Lewisham, is a great example of how Onwards and Upwards can change lives for the better. “I was sitting in Thameside prison, praying for something to come my way, when I saw a piece on ITV News about the bike-mechanics course. I signed up to it as soon as I left prison. The course lasted six weeks, and then they helped me get a job with Fettle. I was with them for a year and then XO Bikes asked me to come for a job interview for the assistant manager position. I was so grateful for that.”
Putting XO on the map.
The charity’s first retail unit was in Lewisham Shopping Centre. Landsec provided it rent-free, and XO Bikes set up a training workshop there, with a shop at the front. Then a second unit followed, two doors down. In return, Onwards and Upwards supported Landsec’s CSR activities and community relationships, publicising the partnership through social media and other marketing. Also, by occupying the units, XO Bikes helped create interest in the redevelopment of the shopping centre, and reduced security costs. The relationship continues, and the charity has recently moved from the shopping centre to two of Landsec’s units on Lewisham High Street.
Onwards and Upwards is also sourcing property with the help of LOWE Group, which places property ‘guardians’ (socially responsible enterprises or individuals) in vacant buildings or units. Through this partnership, the charity opened its first XO Barbers outlet this January, on Blackfriars Road, Southwark, in a former Sons of Temperance meeting hall. The large premises also houses another XO Bikes shop. In addition, LOWE Group has located a warehouse in Bermondsey, where XO Bikes can store the donated bikes, which come mainly from the Metropolitan Police, having been lost or stolen.
Arrangements with landlords to date have been on a ‘meanwhile’ basis, with a relatively short-term certain lease (typically 12 or 18 months) and then a rolling contract after that.
Meeting future needs.
Building on the success of the first outlets, Onwards and Upwards has big plans for expansion and diversification – as Ian explains. “Next, we’re looking for what we’re calling a ‘super barbers’, in an up-and-coming area of London with good foot traffic. Somewhere like Borough or Shoreditch would be ideal, and about 3,000 sq ft, so we can make it a high-profile place, attracting high-profile customers. Also, because of the ‘meanwhile’ arrangements we currently have we’re always looking for good sites for both XO Bikes and XO Barbers, in case we have to move on. GCW has been watching out for us, and we’re grateful for any help we can get.”
Looking into next year, Ian and his team are aiming to launch a fashion store, called XO Clobber. The idea came from the clothing everyone has to wear in prison. “Grey sweatshirt and grey jogging pants, all made by prisoners in textile workshops,” continues Ian. “They’re incredibly well made, because they have to withstand all sorts of wear and tear – and go into industrial washing machines at 80 degrees. So we’re planning a range that’s tough enough for the inside, and so definitely tough enough for anything that happens on the outside. We’re hoping to find a central place for the store, maybe Soho. Beyond this, we’re thinking about gyms and bakeries – XO Fitness and XO Bakers – and we’ll be looking for suitable premises for these over the next couple of years.”
What’s in it for landlords?
It’s very important for Onwards and Upwards to work in partnership with landlords, as it does with Landsec. As Ian says, “We don’t want to be seen as a begging-bowl charity. We give back to our partners in many ways – like supporting their internal PR through talks to staff, and publicly recognising their help at every opportunity. We also supply bikes for cycle-to-work schemes, and have our own scheme, Recycle to Work, which we offer our partners. And it’s surprising how many people just discard bikes at their workplace – if a landlord has any they need to find a home for, we’ll happily take them to refurbish.”
Also, as the charity’s ventures grow, they hope to rely less on rent-free premises. Run as proper businesses, they aim to make money, with any profit going back into the charity. So as they become more established and popular in high-traffic locations, the intention is to pay rent, linked to turnover or profit, on longer leases.
With XO Bikes and XO Barbers set to maintain momentum, the need for more, and larger, commercial premises is imminent. And with a highly professional team behind them – grounded in marketing and management as well as in training, coaching, bike mechanics and barbering – every new opening promises to be a success story, for everyone involved.
The Great Escape.
To help raise money and awareness, Onwards and Upwards organises a bike ride every year, aptly named The Great Escape. The format changes slightly each time, but this year, on 8th May, around 40 teams of 3-6 people will experience what it’s like to be released from prison as they cycle around the Oxfordshire countryside. They’ll have to complete a series of tasks, and keep appointments over long distances, just as many prison leavers do. With no phones allowed, they’ll have to devise their own route based on information they’re given, and could end up covering anything from 60km to 120km. On the way, they’ll visit two prisons, HMP Bullingdon and HMP Spring Hill. A team from GCW will be joining in! You can contribute to this great cause at GCW’s fundraising page, justgiving.com/page/ gcw-thegreatescape2026