Member Article

Coalfields cash to fight crime with all-female initiative

Thanks to almost £10,000 in funding from the Coalfields Community Investment Programme (CCIP), delivered by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Apex Charitable Trust will launch a new programme that will help women who are at risk of offending.

With a total fund of £9,868, the specialist charity will launch a hub that it hopes will appeal to the wider female community in St Helens, who are at risk of offending, are ex-offenders or have been victims of offending.

The hub will operate a weekly social group and will act as a safe space for women to give them somewhere they can visit to address social isolation and gain encouragement to develop their creativity through poetry, songs and artwork.

Established 23 years ago, Apex Charitable Trust offers support to offenders looking for employment, training, education and voluntary work within Merseyside.

Kim Hughes, Chief Executive of Apex Charitable Trust, comments: “With low employment opportunities and high crime rates, the work we do in this area is essential to local people and surrounding communities.

“We have been operating for more than 20 years and still remain one of the only organisations in the area that is dedicated to helping ex-offenders to improve their overall health and wellbeing. To achieve this, we must do everything we can to stop these women reoffending.

“With this new round of funding from CCIP, we will be able to offer a specialist service that helps vulnerable females tap into their creative side whilst also interacting with each other in a friendly and safe environment. These group sessions will act as a much-needed escape from their daily struggles and will allow them to come together to learn and support each other.”

Chief Executive of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Gary Ellis, comments: “Former mining communities continue to suffer from high unemployment rates, and unfortunately as a result, people can turn to crime.

“It is imperative that there are organisations in place to provide these community members with critical advice and guidance to prevent them from reoffending, which is why the Coalfields Community Investment Programme is supporting Apex Charitable Trust.

“The launch of this new service, which we hope will support those that have been victims of crime while helping ex-offenders to stay on the right side of the law, will have an extremely positive and long-lasting impact.”

As Apex Charitable Trust has become a member of Coalfield Community Investment Programme it will continue to be supported by the Trust and will receive bespoke practical support that includes everything from access to resources and services such as help with third-party funding applications and bid-writing, to tips on effective promotion and marketing.

Delivered by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, the Coalfields Community Investment Programme supports organisations and programmes of activity that meet with three key criteria; to address skills, employment or health and wellbeing.

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust was established in 1999 and is the only organisation dedicated to supporting former mining neighbourhoods.

Over the years more than 2m people have benefited from support delivered by the organisation. More than 25,500 people have been supported into work, 5,500 jobs have been created or safeguarded, 1.3m people have received the necessary support to help improve their skills and gain qualifications and over 250,000 people have participated in activities that have improve their health.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nick Hill .