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Rhyl Boxing Club is punching above its weight delivering training sessions to young people and helping them stay out of trouble thanks to cash confiscated from crooks.
The club, which operates on four nights every week, trains children and young adults whether they want a keep-fit session, something to boost confidence or to box competitively.
The members are celebrating after been handed a £2,000 grant from a special fund distributed by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones which will be used to buy new gym gear including gloves, head guards and punchbags.
The money comes from the Your Community Your Choice initiative, also supported by the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT) which is celebrating its 21st anniversary in 2019.
The money for the awards came partly from money seized by the courts through the Proceeds of Crime Act with the rest from the Police Commissioner’s Fund.
Each of the region’s six counties have up to £2,500 apiece for two groups with £5,000 each for two organisations that operate in three or more counties.
In addition this year, thanks to additional funding from the police and crime commissioner and North Wales Police, there are two new grants of £10,000.
The larger grants are designed to fund projects addressing issues related to the emerging threat of County Lines, where young people are being coerced and threatened with violence to take part in illegal activity across the region.
Around 15,000 votes were cast in an online poll to decide which of the community schemes received support, with the cheque presentation to 19 successful applicants at North Wales Police headquarters in Colwyn Bay.
Rhyl Boxing Club head coach Dan Andrews says the training sessions instil discipline and teach young people to respect themselves as individuals as well as other people.
He said: “A full range of equipment is provided to the children and we charge £2 per session with four qualified coaches training up to 26 children at a time.
This puts an enormous amount of wear and tear on things such as boxing gloves, punch bags and other exercise equipment.
We asked for assistance from the Your Community Your Choice fund with purchasing some of the everyday training equipment as well as other kit for the children who wish to progress further in the sport.”
He added: “A number of our members have previously been known by the police and it is hoped that, with our guidance and by teaching them these principles the demand on police issues such as anti-social behaviour will be reduced.
We have discussed a number of projects with local Police Community Support Officers where we would work with them to deliver community sessions which would assist in improving the relationships between our members and North Wales Police.
We want to teach youths of all ages and backgrounds the importance of self-discipline while providing them with a place to come and where they have a real sense of belonging.
We hope it will also promote a healthy relationship with their parents who will feel a confidence that the club associated with their children is working closely with North Wales Police.
We are delighted to have been successful in our application and the £2,000 we have received will be put to very good use.”
Denbighshire’s other winners were the Domestic Abuse Support Unit’s Freedom Programme in Rhyl which received £2,500 and Youth Shedz Cymru, which has bases in Kinmel Bay/Towyn, Abergele and Denbigh, with £2080.
DASU’s Freedom Programme works with the victims and survivors of domestic abuse to give them self-confidence and support while the Youth Shedz project provides places where young people can come to learn new skills, get involved with community projects and be mentored by positive role models.
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones, who jointly presented the awards with new Assistant Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett, said: “I am delighted that my Your Community Your Choice fund continues to support community projects across north Wales for a seventh consecutive year.
“This unique fund allows our communities to decide which projects should get financial support through our on-line voting system and the response has seen almost 15,000 members of the public vote for a total of 30 projects.
These projects help to support my Police and Crime Plan whose purpose is to ensure that North Wales Police is paying specific attention to those points which have been identified as crucial by the public, me and indeed by the force itself.
Many of you will be aware of the recent Third Sector consultation that I carried out which has resulted in an update to my priorities to include the ways in which we address emerging trends including Organised Crime and the exploitation of vulnerable people.
As part of this I aim to ensure that a clear focus continues around county lines crimes – a particularly vicious form of criminality that exploits young vulnerable people into a life of crime which is extremely dangerous and violent and from which there is little escape.
I am delighted to see that a number of your applications aim to address this issue and support our young people.
Community groups are vital to the citizens of north Wales, and in helping to ensure that our communities continue to be some of the safest places to live, work and visit in the UK.”
Sacha Hatchett said: “This money includes cash from assets seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act. This is a particularly vital message as through the professionalism of North Wales Police Officers and with the support of the Courts, we are able to hit the criminals where it hurts – in their pockets.
Our operations target all types of serious criminality including cross border crime, armed robbery, criminal use of firearms as well as drug production, importation and supply.
Those who are involved in serious and organised crime often live well beyond their means, drive expensive cars, live in large houses and frequently holiday abroad; they may well be living lifestyles on the proceeds of crime.
Our communities continue to play a part in this success with local intelligence information given to our officers that help us to bring these criminals to justice.
It sends a really positive message that money taken from the pockets of criminals is being recycled. This is turning bad money into good that's being used for a constructive purpose.”