Almost a dozen community projects in Cleveland will receive additional funding for summer holiday projects aimed at reducing antisocial behaviour (ASB).
A total of 11 projects have received a share of the £14,137 investment from Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner’s ASB Fund.
Projects range from a pirate fun day to gardening and sports. They will give children and families something to do during the long, summer holidays – traditionally a time when ASB increases in Cleveland.
Providing free and low cost activities aims to divert young people away from crime and disorder. Projects will give them a positive focus and outlet for their energies when they have lots of free time.
Tackling ASB “head on” is one of the PCC’s key priorities in his 2021-24 Police and Crime Plan.
ASB blights lives
Steve said: “ASB blights so many lives in our communities – and I support any efforts to stamp it out.
“This funding adds to the significant investment being made by Cleveland’s first violence reduction partnership – CURV – as well as by myself and a wide range of other stakeholders.
“We’ve got to show people – particularly children and young people – that there are more positive ways to spend your time than getting involved in ASB and crime.”
Hartlepool Rugby Football Club (HRFC) is just one of the sports’ clubs given a grant by the ASB Fund.
It was given £640 to run a one-day Inner Warrior rugby bootcamp, aimed at encouraging women and girls to get involved in rugby.
Stewart Hind, Junior Chairperson of HRC, said “We’ve already run at least three of these events and so far, we are expecting 50-plus women and girls to turn up on the day.
“The Inner Warrior Boot Camp gives women and girls a chance to try rugby in a nice, fun, friendly environment, removing the stigma that this is a boys-only sport.”
A total of £30,000 was made available to community groups, who wanted to run projects aimed at curbing ASB during the summer holidays. Groups could apply for a maximum of £1,500 each.
Full list of ASB Fund Grants
The full list of summer projects to receive grant funding are as follows:
- Billingham Boxing Academy (BBA) – £1,500. Funding will allow BBA to run a boxing programme for four hours per day Monday to Thursday. The programme will run during the first four weeks of the school, summer holidays.
- Boosbeck Village Hall – £600. The grant will support a pirate-themed fun day in August 2023
- Hartlepool Rugby Football Club – £640. Funding will support the Inner Warrior Camp for Women and Girls. It aims to give women the chance to experience rugby for the first time.
- St Nicholas Youth Group, Guisborough– £1,500. The grant will be used to buy three table tennis tables for the youth group
- St Ann’s Partnership, Stockton – £1,480.16. Funding will help the partnership to run summer play sessions. They will include a wide range of activities from sport to cookery.
- Hardwick in Partnership, Stockton – £926. The grant will enable the partnership to run five outreach/detached work youth sessions during August.
- Community Ventures, Middlesbrough – £1,500. Funding will support the Digging Deep allotment project. It aims to encourage the generations to get together to garden. It will also demonstrate the impact of ASB on allotments, as the Town Farm allotment has recently been subjected to ASB including deliberate fire setting.
- Ladies of Steel, Dormanstown, Redcar – £1,500. The grant will pay to upgrade existing youth club equipment as well as buy new kit including video games and arts and crafts equipment.
- Hartlepool Huskies Basketball – £1,500. Funding will allow the club to run its Take it to the Streets basketball coaching project. It will run in 10 specific areas of Hartlepool.
- The Shack, Stockton – £1,500. The grant will help The Shack to buy equipment, including a shed, for its gardening club. In turn, this will allow it to develop its allotment further.
- NEPACs – £1,491. Funding will support the BEEhave yourself project. It will encourage young people to design and create materials to use in a series of publicity campaigns. Campaigns will highlight the impact of ASB on individuals and the wider community to their peer group.