Gwent Groups Unite to Celebrate £100k Awards

Representatives from some of the 25 groups awarded funding through the Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner's Partnership Fund met with Ian Johnston and his team during a special networking event organised at Llanhilleth Miners Institute near Abertillery at 6pm on Tuesday evening. In addition to officially announcing the awards, the aim of the event was to celebrate the funding with the Commissioner and share their experiences and ideas with some of the other funded projects(full list of projects funded at end of release).
  
The projects funded support the priorities outlined in the Commissioner's Police and Crime Plan which are that the people of Gwent are satisfied that the police provide a service which meets their requirements; that people in Gwent are less affected by crime; that people in Gwent are less affected by anti-social behaviour; and that people in Gwent are protected from serious harm and that the police service provided is value for money.
  
A grant of £5,000 also goes to Tredegar Boxing Club in Blaenau Gwent. The club was initially set up to address the needs of young people in Tredegar and the surrounding areas and help decrease social deprivation, crime and anti-social behaviour.
 
The grant is being spent on new equipment for the gym, Coaching Education classes and to fund the young members to attend residential boxing camps in England, Scotland and Ireland to improve their fitness, social skills and improve their confidence and boxing skills. The main aim of the project is to engage socially excluded young people in positive physical activities and the project is training volunteers recruiting five unemployed people with a desire to coach and training them to a professional level as volunteer coaches.
  
In Risca a grant of £3,000 is enabling the Risca Street Pastors to recruit a further ten members to help reduce victims of crime and make Risca a safer place to visit. Street Pastors is a Church-backed initiative which works alongside the police and local authorities to promote community safety in town centres.
  
Working in partnership with the Risca Neighbourhood Policing Team, Risca Street Pastors are volunteers from five local churches who give up their time to help people who might be in need of assistance at some point during the evenings. Each volunteer pastor has been trained to help people who may be vulnerable either through alcohol or drugs. They wear high visibility jackets and carry rucksacks containing their kit.
  
In Newport a grant of £3,000 will enable St Julian's and old Barn Community Association (Community Voice) to fund the Friday Night Project where young people can use the Beaufort Community Centre to take part in diversionary activities instead of partaking in anti-social behaviour. The Friday Night Project will provide a film night for youths aged 12 - 18 years old. The evenings will run between 6pm and 10pm in an attempt to engage with youths for the whole evening.
  
And an award of £12,000 also went to South Wales Fire & Rescue Service (SWFRS) and its partners who are using the money on rolling out their flagship project, Bernie, throughout the whole of Gwent. The project helps reduce incidents of deliberate fire setting, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and follows a successful pilot project ran since 2010 to reduce the number of incidents involving deliberate grass and heath land fires across the service area.
  
Highlighting the importance of the awards, Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner, Ian Johnston, said: "Many of these projects have already generated overwhelmingly positive results within their communities but this vital funding will help them achieve a great deal more. It will complement the hard work they have already dedicated to the cause. We want less victims of crime in our communities and we recognise the fantastic role that volunteers at some of these projects can play in complementing the work of Gwent Police and other local partners in the community.
  
I would also like to give a special mention to representatives from the youth forums in Gwent who played an important role on the decision making board. Finally, I would like to congratulate all the projects awarded and wish them all the best with their work."
  
The Police Commissioner's Partnership Fund was made available in September 2013. Up to £100,000 was made available with the funding split into 2 tiers: Tier 1 was for bids up to £10,000, Tier 2 was for bids from £10,001 to £25,000.The Police Commissioner's Partnership Fund closed for applications on the 18th October 2013 but will be made available again in 2014/15.
 
For further information about the Gwent Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner visit www.gwent.pcc.police.uk . Alternatively you may contact the Commissioner's office directly by phone on 01633 642200 or by email to commissioner@gwent.pnn.police.uk

FULL LIST OF AWARDS: