Community organisations receive new year funding boost from Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

Thirteen organisations from across Northamptonshire have received a share of grants totalling more than £100,000 from the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Community Grants Scheme the Making Northamptonshire Safer Fund, over the past 12 months.

Twelve parish councils from around the county were also awarded grants with a joint total of £73,326 from the Road Safety Community Fund to make their villages safer.

Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold offers a Community Grants Funding Scheme that supplies support of between £500 and £10,000 to charities, voluntary or community groups to carry out projects whose aims support the Police, Fire and Crime Plan for the county.

A separate scheme, the Road Safety Community Fund uses money that has come from fines paid by drivers who attend speed workshops. This Fund gives grants of between £500 and £5,000 to groups and organisations to help them run projects that tackle speeding, enhance road safety and other anti-social road use.

Grants from the Making Northamptonshire Safer Fund have been given for a wide variety of projects, ranging from supporting young people who are affected by drug or alcohol abuse in their family, to supporting girls at risk of criminal exploitation by gangs.

Rav Jones of Off the Streets NN said: “Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold has been key to our funding at Off the Streets NN. Thanks to funding we met our target of placing 100 critical bleed kits across Northamptonshire. We are honoured to be granted further funding for more kits so we can reach more areas across the county. One of our key targets for 2023 is to make our streets safer. Working in partnership with other organisations and community groups is key to achieving this. In addition to placing bleed kits we continue to offer free bleed training, place amnesty bins for safe disposal of knives and sharp objects and educate future generations to break the knife crime cycle. #togetherwestand.”

Grants were awarded to:

Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service – expansion of a training programme to develop skills to enable a wider community reach

Off the Streets NN – supporting the installation of critical bleed cabinets and bleed control kits around the county

C2C Social Action – a programme to empower young women and divert them from crime, both those at risk of being involved in the criminal justice system, or those already involved. C2C also spearheaded a separate, successful bid of partners that worked to bring the Knife Angel to Northampton, Wellingborough and Corby

Family Support Link – to run a unique programme supporting young people who are affected by the drug or alcohol misuse of a family member

Guiding Young Minds – Supporting girls who have been affected by county lines and gang exploitation

First Line Medical – supplying medical support to people in need of support on a night out in Kettering

United African Association – Offering wide ranging projects using music and football to support good mental health and improve community wellbeing

Northants Litter Wombles – support to enable more volunteers to litter pick in their neighbourhoods

Accommodation Concern – supplying debt advice in Kettering and supporting a service for rough sleepers in Wellingborough, Corby and Rushden

Hearts of Young People – support for this Corby youth group

Team Shoe Box – boxing gym working in area of high deprivation in Northampton

Corby Amateur Boxing Club – equipment to support boxing training that diverts young people away from crime in Corby.

Angie Kennedy of C2C Social Action said: “The support that the OPFCC provided C2C Social Action during the Knife Angel project was amazing. Not only did they support financially with the cost of moving the iconic sculpture around the county to enable it to appear in Northampton, Wellingborough and Corby in May 2022 as well as security, but also provided the project team with the tools and the know how to get things moving. It was a real pleasure to work with the team and have the total support of Stephen Mold throughout this piece of work. I can truly say that the visit last year would not have been the same without their continued support. Thank you.”

Road Safety Community Fund

The 18 parish councils that were awarded funding from the Road Safety Community Fund all used the grant to fit vehicle activated speed signs in their area. Bulwick; Clipston; Kelmarsh; Blisworth; Easton on the Hill; Kings Sutton; Overthorpe; Barnwell; Aldwinckle; Whilton; Braybrooke; Bozeat; Pitsford; East Hunsbury; Guilsborough; Sywell and Great Oxenden Parish Councils, and Far Cotton and Delapre Community Council all received grants.

Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said: “Our police and fire services work hard to make this county a safer place, but they will not succeed without the support of the communities they serve. Groups like these are working tirelessly to support people facing a variety of different challenges and helping create a resilient, safe Northamptonshire.

“It’s a privilege to be able to support so many different groups that are carrying out such vital work in so many different ways.”

Community Grants can be applied for on the OPFCC website.