Almost £12,000 from High Sheriff Fund to help tackle youth crime

The Wiltshire High Sheriff fund has announced nearly £12,000 in grants for groups addressing issues including youth crime and anti-social behaviour.

The fund, which has been held with Wiltshire Community Foundation since 1988, is designed to help grassroots charities and groups working to help victims of crime and past offenders, as well as preventing young people being drawn into offending.

Among the five groups to benefit was Shine Pinehurst, which was awarded £3,000 to buy an inflatable football pitch. 

Group leader Rev Simon Halls said he and volunteers worked with hundreds of young people on the Pinehurst estate and they had come up with the idea for the pitch.

Last year the young people of the estate used community foundation funding to create their own beach with ten tonnes of sand.

“We spend much of our week working with young people affected by deprivation and on the edge of criminal activity,” said Rev Halls. “The children and young people tell us that there is little positive activity to divert their attention away from negative influences on their doorstep.

“The pitch will act not only as a fun way to engage children and young people in a positive, healthy activity right by where they live, but also provide an opportunity for those young people at risk of involvement with criminal activity to get involved in setting up and running the sessions,” he said.

STEP 10-18 Swindon will use its £2,565 grant to run its Positive Steps programme, aimed at boosting young people’s self-esteem and keeping them away from crime, for 50 pupils in three schools.

Programme leader Johanna Bryant said: “This grant is very timely as we have seen a rise in young people that are being referred for interventions that have identified as at risk of offending, displaying anti-social behaviours and where concerns have been raised regarding personal safety and making unsafe choices. This grant will enable us to increase our support to young people.”

Among the panel members awarding grants was outgoing High Sheriff Sir Charles Hobhouse, previous incumbent Ashley Truluck and former Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson.

To ensure that as many applicants as possible were funded, the balance of £2,696 from the 2021 Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Fund was also awarded.

Wiltshire Community Foundation joint chief executive Fiona Oliver thanked Sir Charles Hobhouse for his support during the year. She said: “Each year the High Sheriff Fund supports vital projects which bring communities together to tackle local issues and make a real difference to people across Wiltshire and Swindon

“Sir Charles has been a tremendous advocate for the voluntary and community sector, helping to raise the profile of many groups and charities who are working so hard to support our communities. 

"In addition to the £12,000 awarded through the High Sheriff Fund, Sir Charles raised an additional ££13,700 through his High Sheriff Summer Fete at Monkton Farleigh Manor last July. These funds were awarded to ten organisations helping young people with their mental health last August.

“We really value the ongoing relationships we have with each year’s High Sheriff of Wiltshire and look forward to working closely with Sir Charles’s successor, Lady Lansdowne.”

More information about the community foundation's work can be found at wiltshirecf.org.uk