Five organisations in Bournemouth have had a positive effect on the lives and futures of ex-offenders and young people engaging in socially unacceptable behaviours.

With retail crime on the rise, last year Southern Co-op launched its £100,000 Safer Neighbourhood Fund which enabled a dozen programmes across the south to tackle the causes of crime and crime prevention.

In Bournemouth these included Community Alcohol Partnerships, Dorset Reclaim, Faithworks Wessex, Hope Housing Training & Support, and The Bourne Foundation.

All of their programmes involved young people from one of the most disadvantaged areas of the UK or ex-offenders often dealing with complex issues.

Over the last year, Dorset Reclaim’s programme has taken in people with a history of offending and who have struggled to re-adjust to normal life and the charity has helped them to develop new skills.

One ex-offender, who was desperate to have a way of filling his days, was provided with work experience in the warehouse. This involved looking after Dorset Reclaim’s stock and going out on its vehicles delivering to other depots – giving the charity extra help while helping the individual to establish a work routine.

The programme enabled him to enrol on a course for manual handling and, soon after, with a reference from Dorset Reclaim, he secured full time work which will keep him away from his old habits. He said “it made all the difference” to have a meaningful way to spend his days while also proving that he could be reliable and a good team member.

Hope Housing Training & Support is a local housing charity providing supported housing in Dorset for 100 homeless adults. It helps its clients deal with complex issues such as those affected by abuse, addictions, unemployment and mental health problems, through an intensive programme of counselling and group support.

With the funding, the charity created Hope and More in 2020 – a community interest company providing community projects to help people learn new skills, keep busy and improve poor mental health and boredom.

Projects up and running include: Hope & More charity shop in Southbourne, which has three residents currently volunteering; Hope & More Bike Project which has another three residents working on bike repairs; Hope & More Rucksack Appeal which has two residents working on managing pack distribution, two volunteers on the maintenance team and two employed staff who were previously volunteers; and Hope Soap – for every bar of soap purchased through outlets or online, a bar is given free to the homeless and those in need. They also have a resident volunteering in their various gardens and are looking for volunteers for the soap project.

Julie Berti, CEO of Hope Housing Training & Support, said: “Myself and Nicola Martenstyn our new Funding Manager for Hope Housing, would like to thank the continued support Southern Co-op offers Hope Housing and Hope & More. We are forever grateful and look forward to a continued relationship. We would welcome any help both as volunteers and donations of items for the shop/bikes/rucksack.”

In Bournemouth, Faithworks Wessex continues to run a range of COVID-safe creative training opportunities to help those escaping homelessness and addiction.

Alistair Doxat-Purser, CEO of Faithworks Wessex, said: “We have been working with 11 trainees over the past few months – they are all still in their accommodation and two of them have now got part time jobs.

“The carpentry workshop team is now making products ranging from bird boxes to planters to sell in the online Doorstop Shop. Not only are they learning how to use different tools, they can actually see people buying what they have made – a huge buzz and lift to their self-confidence.

“Meanwhile other trainees go out each week to help maintain the gardens of vulnerable older people. Each trainee has their own learning plan and our trainee aspiration pot allows us to put aside some funds for them to do something that will make a massive difference.

“The stories from our trainees just underline the fact that with purpose and people cheering them on, people can break free of crime, addiction or homelessness, and reimagine their future!”

In the North Bournemouth/Kinson area – one of the most disadvantaged areas of the UK, The Bourne Foundation is promoting the wellbeing and self-esteem of a large number of 11-18 year olds.

With the recent lockdowns, the support students have received, through targeted wellbeing intervention, has been timely and effective. This in turn has led to student engagement with the school and learning (both in school and remotely) and a wider impact on the community through positive behaviour, positive mental wellbeing and inclusion.

The project serves to identify students with low self-esteem, mental health concerns and those engaging in socially unacceptable behaviours in the community. In implementing these interventions, young people from the most vulnerable backgrounds are given supportive strategies to assist them in choosing the right way to behave and in making positive choices.

Hayley Betteridge, SENCo at The Bourne Academy, said: “Through this initiative, The Bourne Foundation is identifying and supporting a number of vulnerable young people to improve their mental health, behaviour and life choices.

“These programmes have encouraged continued engagement with learning, improved physical and mental wellbeing whilst supporting young people with anger management techniques and social difficulties. Possibly of most value is the impact the programme is making on helping the young people to recognise their own abilities and positive contributions, in turn giving them the confidence to continue education and excel in their chosen field.

“We are hugely appreciative of the financial assistance, which has enabled us to implement these programmes and work collaboratively with our community to bring about positive outcomes for our young people.”

The final project in the area to receive a Safer Neighbourhood Fund donation was Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAPs), in Bournemouth and Portsmouth, which are local partnerships which aim to tackle alcohol harm among young people, with a particular emphasis on preventing underage drinking.

Despite being affected by lockdown, the team has managed to train 20 young people to become Young Health Champions, to lead health awareness and social actions campaigns in their local communities.

The Safer Neighbourhood Fund has been co-ordinated with the help of Neighbourly, a giving platform that helps businesses make a positive impact in their communities by donating volunteer time, money and surplus products.

While crime is still a very serious issue across the retail sector nationwide, Southern Co-op is continuing to tackle it from every angle – causes, prevention, reporting and justice.

To find out more about Southern Co-op and its co-operative principles, visit southernco-op.co.uk/.