30
Jan
2013
By Calvin at 09:25 GMT, 13 years ago
Young people demonstrated how they spend their time supporting the local community to tackle anti-social behaviour when Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner, Sue Mountstevens, recently attended the “Friday Night Project” at Hanham High School in South Gloucestershire
The Project was started by Hanham and Hanham Abbots Parish Councils in 2009 after several groups of youths had begun gathering in public open spaces around the local area engaging in anti-social behaviour and minor criminal activity.
The Friday Night Project takes place every Friday at Hanham High School in the Sports Hall between seven and nine pm. Young people are encouraged to come along and join in with the sessions taken by coaches to engage in various sports including basketball, cricket, netball, volleyball and football.
Speaking after the event Ms Mountstevens said: “It was great to visit the Hanham Friday Night Project and see the young people making use of the sports facilities at Hanham High School this evening.
“This project is a real success story; thanks to the hard and sustained work by many partners and the joint funding from the Hanham and Hanham Abbots Parish Councils, the young people of Hanham have a safe place to go and be with their friends on Friday evenings.
“For me the figures speak for themselves – since the introduction of the project there has been an over 60% reduction in criminal damage.”
