Not many people know this but the 14th June is an important day in prisons all around the world. This day, celebrated by inmates everywhere, is known as Escape Day and creates a buzz throughout the entire month of June.

Leverton Hall Prison in Essex was no different. It was one of the few months of the year that the sun shone above the prison's towering grey walls bathing the yard in a positive yellow.

Inmates walked through the prison's corridors with an unusual spring in their step, their orange overalls looking a few hues brighter than usual.

They hung socks from their bars, as was common this time of year, nobody knew why. Rather than punches, they threw high-fives at each other in the corridors, much to the guards' dismay.

On 14th June at sunrise, they gathered in the yard. Guards and prisoners sat side-by-side and held hands. Together they sang the familiar Escape Day chorus:

"Thank the Almighty that in 2023,

We were thrown in prison to finally be free,

The greed and the crime that plagued the outside,

Is a thing of the past because here we can hide.

Freedom from power, freedom from fear,

Freedom is something we can only find here.

Freedom from media, freedom from the news,

Freedom from an existence dictated by views.

Outside these walls only "too much" is enough,

Outside, they don't care if you sleep rough,

These bars on my cell don't trap me inside,

The ones in a cage are on the outside.

Oh, Escape Day, oh Escape Day, how grateful are we,

To leave the world behind and finally be free."