The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson, was in Cheswick Green to present a cheque for £2,900 from his ‘Active Citizens Fund’ to Village Hall Management Committee, volunteers and youngsters attending the CGM Youth Café at Cheswick Green Village Hall in Solihull.
The Active Citizens Fund totals more than £400,000 and is money which has been allocated from items seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Each year the Police and Crime Commissioner invites local community groups to bid for a grant from this fund. The money must go to community projects and cannot be spent on recruiting officers.
Supported by Cheswick Green Parish Council, the CGM Youth Café meets most Friday evenings. The Youth Café supports nearly 80 local youngsters between the ages of 10-17 who meet in the safe, relaxed and enjoyable environment the Café provides.
The Café’s also offers the youngsters the opportunity to take part in discussions on various issues. These include anti-social behaviour and mental health and during his visit, the PCC joined the youngsters in welcoming a volunteer group who came in and spoke about knife crime and self-defence if attacked.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, said:
“Thanks to community help, support and a recommendation from the local police force, I am please we have been able to make this contribution. This project is exactly the type of activity this fund is intended to support. I would personally like to thank Jayne and all volunteers who regularly give up their time and make such an excellent contribution to looking after the health and wellbeing of local youngsters within their area.”
The Chairwomen of the Charlie Taylor Jay Foundation, Jayne Brown, which runs the Café, said:
“As you will appreciate, without financial support we would find it extremely difficult to run this Café. Without the Café, many local young people would be at a loss what to do with their time, leaving them vulnerable to becoming involved in anti-social behaviour or worse. Therefore, on behalf of everyone at CGM Youth Café, I would like to thank the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner for this very generous donation.”
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