Flintshire winners announced of £50k fund for North Wales community projects

The Flintshire winners of a special £50,000 fund to help communities across North Wales were announced at a recent event in Colwyn Bay.

The initiative, called Your Community, Your Choice, helps support grass-roots projects in the region and is supported by the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT), the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, and North Wales Police.

Over the eleven years since Your Community, Your Choice started, almost £600,000 has been awarded to nearly 200 projects working to reduce crime in their neighbourhoods and also to support the priorities in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan.

The funding for Your Community, Your Choice comes partly from money seized by the courts through the Proceeds of Crime Act, with the rest coming from the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The successful groups and projects announced this year comprise:

 Flintshire

• Aura Wales Shotton Boxing Club – Shotton Boxing Club and Community Hubs
• The Rockworks Academy – ‘Breaking Barriers’ project
• Buckley Cricket Club – Creating a lighter, brighter and safer environment for all at Buckley Cricket Club.

 The winners of the local projects that received funding were delighted with their success as part of the scheme.

Josh McEwan, School & Community Sports Coordinator, Aura Wales said: “We are delighted to be awarded the grant through the Your Community, Your Choice fund. The grant will help us support young people in Flintshire, providing opportunities to participate in various activities, in a fun, engaging and safe environment, while also helping to tackle any current issues young people may be facing or at risk of being involved in.”

Tanya Jones, Director, The Rockworks Academy commented: “The Rockworks Academy are absolutely delighted to be receiving this funding, which will enable us to run sessions where musicians can come to a free, dry, accessible, supervised and guided session with equipment provided so that all barriers to their participation in musical activities can be broken down.

“We offer sessions disengaged teens with Autism, ADHD and CP who have to conform to education systems that do not support them fully, giving them a voice and learning how to express themselves and develop communication skills so that they can better self-advocate. Playing music in groups or bands improves listening skills and encourages better problem-solving skills. Sessions are also given to vulnerable people and their carers and those with disabilities, enabling them to participate and experience performing both privately and at shows.  We are very excited to be able to put this into effect, Thank you so much!”

 Buckley Cricket Club added: “All at Buckley Cricket Club are delighted to have received the Your Community, Your Choice grant. The grant will enable us to install security lighting at and around the cricket club. With a big influx of new members, primarily women, girls, and children, it is ever important for our players to feel safe and secure. We want to say a huge thank you for giving us this opportunity and, with this support, it helps us get closer to our aspiration of being the most open, accessible, safe, and inclusive cricket club in North Wales.”

 North Wales Police & Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin said: “I am very happy to see the breadth and variety of organisations in this year’s Your Community, Your Choice fund – the whole of North Wales is represented, from Anglesey to Wrexham. Organisations include those that work with the young, with older people, as well as sports, arts and health and wellbeing groups.

“Supporting communities is a key part of my plan for policing and tackling crime in the region and our communities in North Wales are resilient and caring places. Organisations like those that have received funding are the backbone of these neighbourhoods, they step in and step up day after day to help and support their communities and I cannot thank them enough for their work.”

PACT Chairman Ashley Rogers commented: “Your Community, Your Choice is all about helping communities and empowering organisations and individuals to make a difference for local residents. We are all richer for their work. The funding for the initiative is made even more special by the fact that it comes partly from money seized from criminals, meaning that it is paid back to the people. I am very pleased that we have been able to help so many worthwhile projects this year and hope that the funding awarded continues to make a difference for a long time to come.”

North Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Chris Allsop said: “On behalf of North Wales Police I am delighted to see the Your Community, Your Choice initiative awarding even more worthwhile projects from across the region. Many of these projects undertake valuable outreach work in their communities. They also help to reduce instances of anti-social behaviour and other negative activity by providing positive diversionary activities and interventions for both young people and adults alike. I wish them every success in their work.”

• To learn more about PACT visit www.pactnorthwales.co.uk and to learn more about the work of the Office of the Police and crime Commissioner, visit www.northwales-pcc.gov.uk