Andy Munns
Community groups that tackle issues such as anti-social behaviour, drug and alcohol-related crimes and supporting young people have received funding through the first round of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Community Action Fund.
Applications for funding were considered by the OPCC decision making panel last week, with the help of Wiltshire Community Foundation, which has co-ordinated the grant.
PCC Philip Wilkinson said: “I’m so pleased we have had so much interest in the Community Action Fund this year. The standard of applications received during the first round of funding were very high.
“We have been able to award funding to some fantastic groups whose projects aim to tackle key deliverables within each of my Police and Crime Plan priorities. I am looking forward to visiting as many of these groups as possible to find out more about the valuable work they do and how they are actively contributing to their communities and making Wiltshire safer.
“Groups can still apply to be considered in the second round of funding, so I would encourage any community groups who haven’t yet visited the fund page to do so. There you can read over the full eligibility criteria and get your application in.”
The following groups that work in our local area were all selected for funding:
Wiltshire County Football Association (£4,900)
To provide 15 weeks of the ‘Roots to Shoots’ programme, a diversionary session for young people in Devizes engaged in anti-social behaviour in the town. This will cover the summer holiday period where risks may be higher for the young people involved. This project tackles crimes that matter most to local communities, specifically anti-social behaviour.
Developing Health & Independence (£2,500)
Organising 10 trips to provide positive and diversionary experiences for young male offenders engaged in programmes across Wiltshire. This project works to reduce violence and serious harm and tackle crimes that matter to local communities.
Seeds4Success (£2,500)
Contributes to regular open access youth club sessions and a new outreach project over the summer holidays to tackle recent increase in anti-social behaviour in and around Mere, Tisbury and Wilton. This group tackles crimes that matter most to local communities, specifically anti-social behaviour.
Splash – Community First (£3,384)
To develop a parents’ resource pack in different languages for supporting their children and their ‘Worry Monsters’, a resource for helping young children across Wiltshire deal with the emotional effects of being a victim of crime. This will help improve the experience of victims and deliver justice.
Any applications which were submitted after the cut-off point of Friday, May 12th2023 will be considered in the second round of funding.
For more information on how to apply, please visit the Community Action Fund page. You can also watch our Meet the Funder event FAQs video for answers on questions asked by interested organisations and potential applicants.
