Commissioner celebrates Cambridgeshire Youth Projects

JASON ABLEWHITE, Police and Crime Commissioner, welcomed community groups to a special awards’ evening at Police Headquarters in April, to celebrate their achievements.

Over the last year, nineteen community groups from across the county have been awarded funding from the Commissioner’s fund, sharing over £50,000 for community projects involving or relating to young people.

The event included inspirational speeches talk from Constabulary Inspector Caroline Scully and volunteer police cadet leader Max Prince, who has followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and joined the policing family. 13 year old Noah Fairweather, the Commissioner’s honorary cadet, helped to hand out the certificates during the presentation.

Managed by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, the Youth Social Action Fund made grants available to help young people engage in positive activities and promote youth social action.

In the past year a host of projects have benefitted from the fund, including Peterborough Bangladesh Welfare Association UK who received funding to run regular sports training sessions for disadvantaged young people and Ramsey Neighbourhood Trust who used the funding to enable youth group members to run projects building links with other community groups.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Jason Ablewhite said:

“I was thrilled to see how the young people here had engaged with their community, and how the projects were leaving a lasting impression. It is heart-warming to see how these groups can affect so many lives, even with only a small amount of money, and make such a significant difference.”

“By taking part in positive social action, young people will engage more with their communities and benefit from reduced vulnerability and a reduced risk of becoming involved in crime.”

While the Youth Social Action Fund has now ended, the Commissioner continues to run his own Youth and Communities Fund, which offers grants to groups working with young people to reduce their vulnerability to crime and improving engagement with their communities. If you are planning such a project, or are part of a local group that supports or engages with young people in Cambridgeshire, check website of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner http://www.cambridgeshire-pcc.gov.uk/money/grants/youth-fund/) for further details.