Nearly 8,000 young people to benefit from PCC’s Youth Diversion Fund

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Nearly 8,000 young people will benefit from safe, supervised activities during Halloween and Bonfire Night, thanks to the Police Commissioner’s new Youth Diversion Fund.

Emily Spurrell announced in August that she was releasing the first round of funding from her new fund, which diverts money raised from the sale of unclaimed stolen goods or recovered property which cannot be returned to its owners, to worthwhile causes supporting communities to prevent crime across Merseyside.

Opening the Youth Diversion Fund for the first time, the Commissioner invited community organisations, charities and groups to apply for a vital cash boost of up to £3,000 grants for grassroots initiatives working to divert young people away from anti-social behaviour and crime during the busy autumn half term, when it traditionally spikes.

Today, she has announced 28 projects across Merseyside will share more than £48,000 from the fund to run safe and engaging activities for a total of 7,960 young people. The projects will complement Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service’s annual Operation Banger.

Emily said: "I’m delighted to announce that nearly 8,000 young people across Merseyside will have the opportunity to join safe, supervised activities over Halloween and Bonfire Night, thanks to funding from my Youth Diversion Fund.

“Many communities across Merseyside traditionally see a rise in criminal and anti-social during the autumn half term. Historically, it is also a particularly busy time for the police and the fire service. Through these grants, I am keen to help relieve the pressure on them, while ensuring young people can enjoy the festivities at organised and well-managed events.

“While each of these individual grants are only relatively small, our fantastic voluntary and third sector really know how to make the most of it to benefit their local communities. They have proposed a host of imaginative and creative projects which will support the excellent diversionary work carried out by the police and fire service and will make a huge difference in keeping their young people safe.”

A total of 90 applications were received for the fund, with a combined value of more than £200,000. To avoid any duplication, bids were shared with partners before being reviewed by a panel from the Commissioner’s team and the Community Foundation for Merseyside, who manage the fund on the PCC’s behalf.

As a result, 10 organisations in Liverpool were awarded funding, with six projects running on the Wirral, five in Sefton, four in St Helens and three in Knowsley.

Among the successful recipient were L14 Community House in Knowsley which received £1,500 to set up a haunted house in an area of high ASB for 1,200 young people during the autumn break, while the Wirral Youth Zone was awarded £1,600 to once again run its hugely popular Hiveageddon project for 1,250 young people, offering diversionary activity including arts, football, drama, dance and music.

In Liverpool, the Deysbrook Village Centre will provide diversionary activities for up to 1,300 young people, while The Florrie in Toxteth will once again be able to run its Haunted House project for 100 children.

In Sefton, the Brunswick Youth Club will run Halloween parties aimed at keeping 120 young people safe in an area of high levels of ASB, while in St Helens the Under Construction Crew will use a £3,000 grant to offer a range of classes including hip hop and dance to ensure young people can enjoy the celebrations safely.

Other projects that have been funded across Merseyside include movie nights, fitness and boxing sessions, hip hop and dance classes, a roller-skating disco and after-school activities.

The Youth Diversion Fund is administered by the Community Foundation for Merseyside, (CFM) on behalf of the Commissioner. CFM holds funds from philanthropic individuals and organisations who wish to support deserving causes in Merseyside and Lancashire.

Rae Brooke, Chief Executive for the Community Foundation for Merseyside, said: “For many years our partnership with the Police & Crime Commissioner for Merseyside has enabled us to distribute funding to a broad range of local community projects making a positive difference to people’s lives.

“This new Youth Diversion Fund provides a valuable opportunity for charitable groups in Merseyside focused upon steering young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour to apply for a share of the available funding.”

Successful projects

Please find below details of all the successful projects, broken down by Local Authority area:

Knowsley

  • Centre 63 CIC - £2,500 for 160 young people, will benefit from issue-based workshops, sports activities, educational/ information and practical workshops and provide fun activities for Halloween and Bonfire night. Centre 63 will also provide early intervention and prevention mentoring of young people aged 10-18 already known to them.
  • L14 Community House - £1,500 for 1,200 young people in Huyton, an area of high ASB and criminality. The project will set up a haunted house for young people to have fun with over the Halloween and Bonfire period.
  • The Champ Project - £2,500 for 80 young people. The group will be providing physical and mental health activities over the period of October half term, including mischief night, Halloween and Bonfire night.

Knowsley total £6,500 for 1,440 beneficiaries over 3 projects

Liverpool

  • AL Ghazali Multi-Cultural Centre - £2,000 for 40 young people. The funding will be used to provide activities such as pool, table tennis, play station games, board games and physical activity sessions such as circuit training over the Halloween half term period.
  • Anfield Sports & Community Centre - £2,500 for 160 young people for extra activities for the period for Operation Banger in an area of high anti-social behaviour (ASB). The funding will be used to provide a half term activity camp for children and young people.
  • Capeesh (Liverpool) CIC - £1,596 for 30 young people an area of high ASB.  This bid will help to run a series of free music workshops over the October half term.
  • Deysbrook Village Centre - £1,500 will help 1,300 beneficiaries. The group will be providing diversionary activities for children and young people over the Halloween/bonfire night period.
  • Kaalmo Youth Development Ltd - £3,000 for 60 young people. The group will be providing video game tournaments to divert young people away from becoming involved with crime or anti-social behaviour.
  • Liverpool Six Community Association - £2,000 for 100 young people. The group will hold 3 evening events on 30th and 31st October and 5th November to engage with young people and divert them away from anti-social behaviour.
  • The Florrie - £1,500 for 100 young people to get involved in the Florrie Haunted House project. The building will be prepared by volunteers and young people and will be divided into two experience for the younger and older children. The group will be using the funding to provide wider diversionary activities during October half term leading up to Halloween.
  • The Opening Doors Project - £1,400 for 500 beneficiaries to run themed diversionary activities over the Halloween/Bonfire Night period.
  • The Unity Community Association - £1,000 for 300 young people to provide a roller skate disco over the Halloween half term and specifically the key nights of Mischief Night, Halloween and Bonfire Night.
  • Walton Youth Project - £1,800 for 100 young people. The group will provide activities to young people over the Halloween half term.

Liverpool total £18,296 for 3,590 beneficiaries over 10 projects

Sefton

  • Brunswick Youth Club - £2,000 for 120 young people to deliver extra activities for young people in an area of high ASB. The club has a proven track record of successful projects. They will provide two Halloween parties - one for younger children, one for older children - to engage young people over this period.
  • Litherland Youth and Community Centre - £1,500 for 60 young people in area of high ASB to engage young people in sessions exploring the dangers of ASB, particularly over the Halloween and Bonfire Night period. A BBQ and Disco will be provided as a reward for participation.
  • Netherton Feel Good Factory - £600 To provide after school activities for 40 children and families. The families are based in the Netherton area, an area of high ASB.  
  • Parenting 2000 - £2,500 The group will be providing diversionary activities for 200 children and young people over the Halloween half term.
  • Woodvale and Ainsdale Community Association - £2,000 The group will be providing diversionary activities to 40 children and young people to divert them from anti-social behaviour.

Sefton total £8,600 for 460 beneficiaries over 5 projects

St Helens

  • Park Farm ACYP Centre - £1,500 The funding will be used to provide creative and inclusive youth diversionary activities for 150 young people over the Halloween half term period.
  • The Parr Sports and Community Centre - £2,000 The funding will be used to provide Boxing, football, rugby, netball, tennis, volleyball, basketball, badminton, hockey, cricket and rounders as well as arts & crafts for 30 young people
  • Under Construction Crew - £3,000 for 150 young people across St Helens to take part in a wide range of activities. The group will be providing Hip Hop, arts and engaging youth activities to engage children and young people and divert them away from crime and anti-social behaviour.
  • WILDCARD A.B.C. - £1,000 will provide 100 young people with boxing and fitness sessions for young men and women.

St Helens £7,500 for 430 beneficiaries over 4 projects

Wirral

  • Running Head First CIC - £2,850 for 50 young people, the funding will be used to provide football, coaching, nutrition and mental health support sessions to children and young people over the Halloween half term period.
  • Shaftesbury Youth Club - £2,000 for 50 young people providing a Covid secure playscheme over the half term period.  The group are experienced in this work and will provide activities for vulnerable children in the Rock Ferry/Birkenhead/Tranmere and Wallasey areas, areas that experience high ASB. 
  • The Heart of Egremont - £1,000 The group will be providing a movie night and other activities for 40 children and young people to divert them from anti-social behaviour.
  • Venture Boxing Club - £1,000 the funding will be used to provide a two week fitness, circuit and boxing sessions for 50 young people over the Halloween/bonfire period.
  • Wirral Development Trust - £1,600 for 1500 young people in Leasowe, an area of high ASB. The funding will be used to provide a number of diversionary activities for children and young people over the Halloween/bonfire night period.
  • Wirral Youth Zone, The Hive - £1,600 for 1,250 young people for Hiveageddon Project across the Wirral area. Diversion activities will include arts, football, drama, dance, climbing, music and boxing over the Operation Banger period.  

Wirral total £9,950 for 2,940 beneficiaries over 6 projects