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North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin visited the Cobra Life Family Martial Arts Black Belt Academy in Shotton on May 26 to see the crucial work the club is doing in the community and to see how money taken from criminals is being used for the good of the young people of the area.
The money, from the Your Community, Your Choice fund, is helping Cobra Life to continue their innovative work in developing and improving young people’s lives with the ‘Cobra Bully Buster’ Project. This focuses on the verbal and physical aspects of bullying and encourages young people to excel in Martial Arts as a way of coping with and managing their experiences. Funding will support the cost of delivery of the project to young people and schools across Flintshire.
Your Community, Your Choice is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2023 and, over the past ten years, a total of over £500,000 has been awarded to more than 150 projects working to reduce crime in their areas and to support the priorities in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan. The funding for Your Community, Your Choice comes partly from money seized by the courts through the Proceeds of Crime Act, with the rest from the Police and Crime Commissioner.
While at the Cobra Life Family Martial Arts Black Belt Academy in Chester Road West, Andy Dunbobbin experienced the Academy’s Cobra Kids Champions for Life Programme. It is a session for 4-6 year-olds and is specifically designed to help young children build confidence and discipline while teaching core life skills such as understanding what to do if they get lost, are bullied, are in a medical emergency and much more. The children are taught simple self-defence techniques and are also taught to have the inner confidence to not need to hurt anyone themselves.
Gavin Eastham, Chief Instructor, Cobra Life Family Martial Arts Black Belt Academy commented: "It was a pleasure to welcome the PCC to visit us. Your Community, Your Choice funding means we will be able to impact young people in our communities by helping them gain a deeper understanding and knowledge of bullying, its causes and also consequences. We aim to educate young people so that they can spot the signs in victims, and they can help support, but also help them understand, the causes of bullying. We will also be able to educate adults within education to understand how to properly support and deal with this horrible thing called bullying."
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin said: “I was delighted to join Gavin and to see the fantastic work Cobra Life are doing to provide activities and opportunities for young people in Flintshire, and helping them cope with, and combat, bullying.
“Giving young people something active and creative to do is hugely important and Cobra Life does great work in giving a positive outlet for local young people’s energy, as well as helping stop the scourge of bullying. It's also very fitting that the funding for Your Community, Your Choice should come partly from money seized from criminals, which shows that these funds can be put to good use for the benefit of the wider community.”
PACT Chairman Ashley Rogers stated: “Grass roots projects are the life blood for improving communities across North Wales, making them safer and more resilient places to live. Cobra Life is a great example of this in action and it’s a pleasure to be able to support them through Your Community, Your Choice.”
North Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Chris Allsop said: “This is a very worthwhile group which is making a big difference to the lives of children and young people in the Flintshire area. The activities they provide in terms of offering diversions, exercise and support to young people is much needed and am sure the Your Community, Your Choice funding will help them in their work.”
To learn more about PACT visit www.pactnorthwales.co.uk
For more information on Cobra Life, visit: www.cobralife.co.uk