Middle row from left, Liv Sutcliff and Tasha Parkinson, volunteer coaches for Sporting Communities.
Bottom row Greg Marshall, coach for Sporting Communities and children participating in activities at Project House, run by Sporting Communities.
A North Staffordshire project to tackle anti-social behaviour through sport has been awarded £13,466 from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Proceeds of Crime Fund.
Sporting Communities has been given funding to continue delivering a range of sport activities to young people in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands.
Offering young people activities to engage in will help to reduce the anti-social behaviour in areas of North Staffordshire and means children are involved in healthy and positive activities.
The funding has also enabled Sporting Communities to train young people to become coaches, offering them qualifications and giving the participants positive adult role models.
The Proceeds of Crime Fund is made up of assets and money seized from criminals in Staffordshire.
Mr Ellis said: “I am determined that 100 per cent of funding that comes back to Staffordshire Police from proceeds of crime seizures is going directly to local communities.
“After visiting Project House and meeting staff involved at Sporting Communities I can see the positive outcomes of the activity sessions. It is important to engage with young people which means we can intervene early to tackle the problem of anti-social behaviour.”
Ben Rigby, managing director of Sporting Communities, said: “The funding we have received from the Police and Crime Commissioner has allowed us to continue our street based community sessions. Using sport and play as a tool for social development, we have been able to address a number of community needs, as identified by local people. This work has not only provided a service that young people can attend, but also one in which young people can gain life skills, qualifications and achieve volunteering and work experience.
“We fully expect that with the continued support of the Police Crime Commissioner we will be able to continue achieving truly positive outcomes within Staffordshire.”
As part of his commitment to local communities, the Commissioner is providing £250,000 in 2014/15 through the fund in the form of the Proceeds of Crime Fund grants between £3,000 and £15,000.
Smaller grants, of between £100 and £3,000, are also available through the Commissioners People Power Fund. For more information visit www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/fund
Successful projects in all three funding streams will deliver what’s important to local people based on the four priorities set out in the Commissioner’s Safer, Fairer, United Communities Strategy – tackling the root causes of crime through early intervention, supporting victims and witnesses better, reducing reoffending and increasing public confidence.
The next round of funding opens on 1 March and closes on the 14 April.
For more information on funding visit www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/fund.
For more details on Sporting Communities email Ben Rigby on info@sportingcommunitiescic.org
