Community groups in Leicestershire urged to apply for £65k grant to help young people at risk of violence

Leicestershire's Violence Reduction Network (VRN) has announced the latest round of its Community Fund.

It will hand out grants to Voluntary and Community Sector organisations to help “prevent violence returning to the streets following the lockdown”.

This year's fund is focusing on re-engaging and supporting vulnerable people as part of a wider coronavirus recovery effort.

It “aims to build resilience among young people as they transition back into public life and restrictions ease”.

The network wants “to involve and empower grassroots organisations to develop community responses to preventing violence”.

The VRN is particularly keen to support projects which back students with low school attendance or who are close to exclusion and young people not in employment or training.

Grace Strong, director of the Violence Reduction Network, said: "One of our key priorities is to work in partnership with communities and provide resources so that communities can play a direct role in preventing violence.

"Covid-19 and the implications it is having for our young people mean that it is even more important for community groups and organisations to be able to provide activities and services both virtually and face-to-face where possible and safe to do so.”

She added: "This funding will support that process and increase the opportunities and services that can support young people and help them succeed in the future.

“We are keen to invest in these groups and work collaboratively with them to develop community responses to preventing violence amongst young people."

Lord Willy Bach, VRN Board member and Leicestershire's Police and Crime Commissioner, said: "It is a critical time for the UK as we continue to recover from the coronavirus and its impact on our lives.

"Patterns of public place violence and crime have been disturbed during the pandemic as a result of the lockdown.

“With restrictions now easing, it is important we do everything possible to prevent violence and knife crime from re-emerging and that means sustaining our intervention work with those most at-risk."

Projects should focus on youth violence in public places involving people aged up to 25 and concentrate on one or more types of prevention.

Grants of up to £5,000 per organisation are available and projects must be delivered before March 31, 2021.

The VRN will only support new schemes and do not duplicate what existing partners may be delivering.

The application process is now open and closes at 11:59pm on Tuesday August 25.

For more information and to apply visit: www.violencereductionnetwork.co.uk/grants