The five Bristol based programmes selected by Southern Co-op to receive up to £7,500 each from its Safer Neighbourhood Fund are run by Avon Youth Club, Changing Tunes, Empire Fighting Chance, Sixty-One, and The West of England Sport Trust (Wesport).

In Bristol, Avon Youth Club will be using the funding to run two eight-week ‘Positive Changes’ programmes focused on supporting young people aged 10-15 who may be at risk of being drawn into anti-social behaviour and crime in the Lawrence Weston area.

Lucy Saunders, Fundraising Manager, said: “We will identify young people at risk so we can provide vital early intervention before they begin down the wrong path – a time when we can truly intervene and make a difference. Our programme will include a range of sporting and creative activities and interactive workshops to highlight and discuss issues associated with offending behaviour such as gangs, drug and alcohol misuse or managing anger.

“We are so grateful to the Safer Neighbourhood Fund and Southern Co-op for its support and know this programme will make a huge difference to the lives of young people in the area and the wider community.”

Changing Tunes is a charity that uses music and mentoring to support the rehabilitation of prisoners and ex-prisoners in Bristol and Southampton. The music sessions provide a safe space for learning and creative self expression, while building trust and confidence.

David Jones, Chief Executive at Changing Tunes, said: “Music is an excellent tool for helping people acquire a valuable skill set that goes beyond musicianship. Our post-release service creates a pathway for ex-offenders to rejoin the community and build meaningful relationships.

“Through collaborative music making sessions, beneficiaries develop transferable social and interpersonal skills. We also offer ex-offenders one to one meetings with musicians where they can talk openly about any challenges and issues they are facing.

“Reoffending rates among Changing Tunes participants are significantly lower than the national average as a result. This grant from Safer Neighbourhood Fund will help us further develop and expand our post-release work in Bristol and Southampton so that we can help even more people with our services.”

At Empire Fighting Chance the funding will help to run intensive, 1-2-1 non-contact boxing and personal development programme for young people at risk of entering the criminal justice system.

Young people who present to the organisation with a range of behavioural and emotional issues such as anger, depression and low self-esteem, will participate on a 20-week programme called Training with the Champions. Most will have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion from school and/or engaging in risky, anti-social and criminal behaviour.

Martin Bisp, CEO of Empire Fighting Chance, said: “Support from organisations like Southern Co-op is absolutely vital, especially in this current situation, to help those from disadvantaged and difficult home lives. It allows us to work with them intensively, on a 1:1 basis, preventing them entering the criminal justice system or getting excluded from school.”

Sixty-One, based in St Agnes Church, works all over Greater Bristol and will use the funding to expand its already successful MentorMe project helping ex-prisoners lead meaningful crime free lives.

Tim Snowdon, Director at Sixty-One, said: “Through this programme Sixty-One’s volunteer mentors help reduce reoffending rates by 75%. They achieve this by regularly meeting with ex-prisoners to help them achieve their goals and deal with the challenges of life after prison.

“Last year we supported 67 ex-prisoners and want to increase this to 85. This is particularly important during the pandemic, as we have seen a more than doubling of the support provided by our volunteer mentors since the start of the lockdown.”

Wesport’s staff have been supporting activities in St George Park since 2018. They will be using the funding to support an apprentice to ‘learn on the job’ and manage a calendar of activities for the local community within the St George Park boundaries.

Ruth Glanvill, Project Manager for Community Sport at Wesport, said: “Wesport is delighted to be a recipient of the Safer Neighbourhoods Fund. Since 2018 we have taken time to build relationships with the active groups who support the park and wider community. Encouraging a cohesive community and supporting young people to make positive choices whilst using the park site will be key to this work.

“This funding will enable us to provide more of a commitment towards delivering activity in St George Park and enable someone with dedicated time to join up existing activities and consult with the local community to understand what else would be desired on site.”

To read more about the Safer Neighbourhood Fund, click here.