Youth team get £10k of crimefighting cash
ACOMMUNITY youth engagement project has secured £10,000 in funding from a pot designed to fight crime and keep people safe.
Bacup Family Centre, which works with children, young people and their families, was awarded the grant by Police Commissioner Andrew Snowden for its Solutions - Community Children & Youth Project.
The Safer Lancashire Neighbourhood Fund grant is supported in part through cash seized from criminals as part of police operations, and tops up a further £15,000 secured earlier in the year from the lottery Awards for All and Community For Calderdale funds.
The vision of Solutions, over a three-year development plan, is “to re-establish our community culture of supporting, valuing, appreciating, and protecting our children and young people”.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the service, based at the ABD Centre, said: “We are delighted that our project has been recognized by these funders and our vision is being shared by so many. Our ultimate goal would be for Solutions to gain charity status in its own right and be managed by the community!
“We could not have got to this stage of the project without the continual support of everyone involved.
“From our amazing monthly givers, to some wonderful anonymous donations, attendees giving up their time to come to our meetings and engagement days, everyone who has contributed ideas and are committed to taking this from a pipe dream to a reality. To all the local businesses, churches, police, residents, councillors and organizations that have supported/sponsored/ attended our hot dog nights/engagement days.
“This has given us the chance to engage with our young people, their families and residents receiving valuable feedback about what they would like to see and what’s needed in our town - which has supported our funding bids.”
The project has set out a trio of core objectives:
● To provide a safe environment for children and young people to meet each other, build on their social skills and ability to make positive choices and have fun.
● To alter the culture of how children and young people are perceived locally through effective engagement
within the community, residents and local businesses, building mutual respect and togetherness.
● Actively involve children/young people, residents, and local agencies in resourcing and delivering activities and support.
Police Commissioner Mr Snowden said: “I am delighted that we’ve been able to provide this funding to some strong projects that address local concerns and marry up with what local
policing teams tell me they are seeing in their communities and what they need to deter crime.”
Whitworth & Bacup Conservative county councillor Scott Smith said: “Residents tell me they’ve noticed a real difference in policing since Andrew Snowden, Lancashire Police & Crime Commissioner, took up the reins last year. So it was great to hear that Andrew would be funding the Solutions Community Youth Project.”