YOUR VOICE, YOUR CHOICE
Your Voice, Your Choice Event Awards £30,000 to Local Community Projects
Community safety organisations from across Gwent gathered in Caerleon on the 26th March 2011 to bid for a share of £30,000, which was made available by the Gwent High Sheriffs’ Community Fund at The Community Foundation in Wales and the Gwent Police Property Fund. Out of the 22 organisations that took part in the event, 15 successfully secured a share of the funding, which will help prevent crime, enhance community safety and provide youth diversion initiatives across Gwent. Each group had to present a bid to the other assembled community organisations and then decide amongst themselves which proposals were most deserving of a share of the funding. This type of event is known as Participatory Budgeting and enables local people to have a say regarding funding priorities in their own communities. The Your Voice, Your Choice event was one of the first of its kind to be held in the area.
The successful recipients were:
• South East Wales Racial Equality Council (SEWREC), £1520
• Tredegar Youth Café, £1964
• The Kaleidoscope Project, £1280
• Duffryn Community Link, £2340
• Kidz R Us, £2340
• Blaenau Gwent Domestic Abuse Services, £2340
• Buzz Youth Group, £2340
• SOLAS Cymru, £2322
• Woodlands Field Ltd, £2340
• Life Music Foundation, £2340
• Newport Cycle Speedway Club, £1520
• Bullies Out, £1610
• Lliswerry Out Of School Club, £1545
• Never Never Club, £1840
• Pill Bank Lane Community Action Group, £2340
The High Sheriff of Gwent, Hugh Phillips, was delighted with how the event went, which was the first time the money raised by the High Sheriffs’ had been used in this way. He commented: “It was very gratifying to see so many worthy groups benefiting from the grants at this innovative event.” Gwent Police Chief Constable Mick Giannasi said: “The event was clearly a huge success for communities across Gwent and it gives us great satisfaction to support this work with funding gained from the proceeds of criminality. I was pleased to see so many groups taking part, with the prospect of gaining funding. Although not everyone received money, there was a great deal of interaction between the groups and I hope that they will apply again when another opportunity arises. Gwent Police thoroughly enjoys working with our communities and seeing the benefits of the excellent projects that are taking place.”
Liza Kellett, Chief Executive of the Community Foundation in Wales, added: “This participatory grant-making exercise was a fantastic opportunity to have organisations working in the field of community safety, bring their expertise and knowledge of the needs in Gwent to bear on grant-making decisions. The Foundation is inspired by the commitment of funds, energy and interest from Gwent Police and the High Sheriffs who support excellent community programmes in the area.”