Charities and community groups in Kirklees will share more than £300,000 in cash seized from criminals.
The Mayor of West Yorkshire’s Safer Communities Fund has handed out £1 million to support victims of serious violence, hate crime and trauma and also help projects which promote community safety or divert young people away from criminality.
The fund is financed through recovered cash and assets – such as luxury cars or digital currency – seized from criminals by police and prosecutors under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Among the 20 Kirklees groups to benefit are Hive community cafe, Conscious Youth and Fresh Futures in Huddersfield.
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “I promised to deliver a safer, fairer West Yorkshire, and that’s exactly where this £1 million is going.
“Every area of the county has groups of absolutely fantastic people who put their time and effort into making where they live better or helping people in need, and I am very thankful we are able to support them with these grants.
“This fund would just not be possible without the tireless work of the Economic Crime Unit, so a huge thank you to them for everything they do.”
West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable John Robins QPM DL said: “The officers and financial investigators in our Economic Crime Unit work hard to seize the cash and property of criminals.
“By doing so they ensure that crime does not pay in West Yorkshire. Knowing that funds they have stripped from those that do harm to communities is put to good use through the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund brings tremendous satisfaction.”
Hive, which runs a café in John William Street in Huddersfield town centre, has been awarded £7,000 to support its weekly social group for young people who identify as LGBTQ+. It’s a safe and secure space where young people aged 13-17 can express themselves.
Gabrielle Hurt, founder and CEO of Hive Huddersfield CIC, said: “We are thrilled to receive support from the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund.
“With this funding, we will empower our community by fostering inclusivity and providing essential resources to combat loneliness and promote safety for all in our café and community hub.”
The Kirklees groups receiving funding include: Yorkshire Wellbeing Skills Group (£16,685); Masoom Care (£15,000); Independent Children and Families Services (£19,975); Thornton Lodge Action Group (£15,990); Yorkshire Youth and Music (£20,000); Conscious Youth (£15,218); The Walter Method Ltd (£19,995); Local Services 2 U (£19,628); Kirklees Youth Alliance – Mirfield Youth (£19,862); and Kick Start Project (£7,680).
Also, the Samantha Sykes Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Huddersfield (£7,650); Hive Huddersfield (£7,009); Mirfield United (£7,500); West Yorkshire Police – Kirklees Early Action Team (£5,715); Penguin Acting and Theatre Productions in Mirfield (£7,859); Grassroots in Batley (£2,515); Pennine Domestic Abuse Partnership (£38,895); Skelmanthorpe Youth Club (£25,340); Fresh Futures in Huddersfield (£39,990); and Sensory Play (£7,500).
