Local groups receive £28,000 funding boost from Merseyside Police

Six organisations have been given thousands of pounds in funding to deliver youth engagement and intervention projects in Liverpool 8.

At an event at Unity Youth & Community Centre last night (Wednesday 13 March), local community members decided who should win the share of £28,000, made available using money seized from criminals by Merseyside Police under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

A group of young people from Liverpool, called the Youth Inspectors, also helped to decide the worthy winners. Aged between 8-14, they volunteer their time to make sure that services and events in the city respect and support young people. They are trained to quality assure young people’s provision and capture other Young People’s voice.

The winning organisations, as decided by the audience, included:

Soul Mumma – They will deliver girls’ support classes.
LADFN (Liverpool African Diasporic Film Network) – They will deliver workshops to black males, creating an alternative space to talk and learn.
The New Belve Youth and Community Sports Centre – They will deliver sports activities with the help of an Olympic athlete.
Toxteth El8te – They will deliver a basketball programme to give young people access to this sport.
Crawford House – They will deliver maths tutoring sessions.
Park Palace Ponies – They will deliver pony care and riding into the heart of Liverpool.

Inspector Jemma Shaw, from the local policing team said:

“This event highlighted the strong community ethos in Liverpool 8, and everyone’s passion and commitment to making their community a safer place to live, work and visit. Events like this are so important as they support our ongoing work to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime and give us an opportunity to engage with the public.

“The winning groups will now benefit from the ill-gotten gains of criminals, with £28,000 being reinvested into the area to support with their project delivery, which will benefit hundreds of young people in the area.

“Thank you to all the organisations who took part, the Youth Inspectors for being our panel members and to Unity Youth & Community Centre for hosting.”

Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell said:

“It was a privilege to attend this event and I’m encouraged to hear how these vital organisations plan to use this funding to enhance the great work they are already doing in and around Toxteth.

“The energy and enthusiasm on display at this event is testament to the compassion and commitment people have for their community so I’m delighted we can provide this funding, straight out of the pockets of criminals, to enable and support putting these positive plans in practice.

“It’s so important to focus this money on youth initiatives. They are the next generation of beating hearts that will shape these communities for years to come, so to have young people front and centre, having their say on how this money is spent, is vital if we are to create more opportunities for them to grow their potential and increase their skills and abilities.

“Together we are making a difference. We are cultivating positive communities people feel proud to be part of by creating safer, stronger places to live, work and play and by supporting this event everyone is playing their part in continuing to make L8 great.”