Date
On 26 September, North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin visited Flint High School to see how community sports sessions are being organised for young people using money taken from criminals.
The sessions are hosted by Aura Leisure and the project, called Community Sports Hubs, includes football, badminton, boxing, dance and multisports activities across Flint, Deeside, Holywell and Caerwys.
Aura received funding for sessions as part of The Your Community, Your Choice fund, which supports grass-roots projects and is backed by the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT) and North Wales Police.
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. Over the eleven years since Your Community, Your Choice started, almost £600,000 has been awarded to nearly 200 projects working to reduce crime in their neighbourhoods and to support the priorities in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan.
While at Flint High School, PCC Andy Dunbobbin was accompanied by Dave Evans from PACT and met Josh McEwan and Bethan Daly from Aura to discuss the project with them. The visitors saw other Aura colleagues working with the young people attending the Community Sports Hub who were taking part in indoor gymnastics classes and outdoor football on the 4G pitch. Numbers attending the session at Flint can reach up to 30 local youngsters and all of the young people were enthusiastic about the fantastic activities provided by the team and how much it means to them. Some of the boys playing football – Toby, Fin, Lyle and Bailey – commented how much they get out of the sessions and that they enable them to see their mates and have a fun time. They added that if it weren’t for the activities on offer, they would just be sitting at home playing computer games or have little else to do after school.
Josh McEwan, School & Community Sports Coordinator, Aura Wales, commented: “We were delighted to be awarded the grant through the Your Community, Your Choice fund. The money has helped us to support young people in Flintshire, providing opportunities to participate in various activities, in a fun, engaging and safe environment, while also helping to tackle any current issues young people may be facing or at risk of being involved in. We were very pleased to welcome the visitors and to show them the difference the funding is making for young people in Flintshire.”
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin said: “It was a pleasure to visit Flint High School to see how Your Community, Your Choice is benefiting youngsters in Flintshire. Getting active and having fun is a really important part of being a young person and helps to forge the friendships, skills and confidence that stay with us as we grow. The project is also an example of a key element of my priority to deliver safer neighbourhoods across North Wales through providing young people with positive activities. As a local resident as well as Police and Crime Commissioner, I am already aware of the work done by Aura in communities across Flintshire and I look forward to seeing the project continue to grow.”
PACT Chairman Ashley Rogers stated: “Your Community, Your Choice is all about creating opportunities for everyone and celebrating what makes us strong as a community. The fact that the money for Your Community, Your Choice comes partly from the proceeds of crime also means that people can see justice in action in their neighbourhood. I am delighted that Aura has been able to host the community sports sessions across Flintshire and that Your Community, Your Choice has been able to help them in their mission to serve local young people and encourage a healthy lifestyle.”
North Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Gareth Evans said: “Sport is an excellent way for young people to both keep fit and also to divert their energies into positive and confidence-building goals. It can also help reduce anti-social behaviour by keeping young people engaged in fun and rewarding activities. North Wales Police is committed to working with young people and their communities to build a safer North Wales and we are delighted to have been able to support the Aura sports project, especially as it involves returning the proceeds of crime back to the public.”
To learn more about PACT visit: www.pactnorthwales.co.uk
For more information about Aura, visit: www.aura.wales