Funding provided by the Home Office to the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit is being channelled in to community organisations across South Yorkshire to help with support needs after the coronavirus lockdown.
The funding is being directed to smaller charities and community groups within the county for support to children and young people, to ensure they can resume their activities after the coronavirus pandemic.
The funding will allow them to continue to support vulnerable young people at risk of violence, adapting support services if necessary, for example by using remote working and technology.
Fight For Good are providing digital sessions delivered by coaches to young people across the whole of South Yorkshire and work with local foodbanks to provide nutritional meals, using the boxing clubs across South Yorkshire as well as offering outdoor sessions in the local community utilising the mobile boxing ring.
In Sheffield Darnall FA will be starting up their sessions again with the help of a £4,000 grant to purchase some much needed PPE, portable equipment for example mobile pop up nets, extra coaching costs to meet the new government guidelines and a deep clean of Darnall FA hub and offices.
In Rotherham, the Rotherham Samaritans have received funding for the purchase of hand sanitisers, PPE, signage, thermometers, wall mount dispensers, trigger bottle sprays, hand wipes, and plastic signage covers (advising hand washing, directional information). These items will ensure staff within their office and those working from home are and able to continue to provide a service to those in need, especially during these difficult times.
The Doncaster Foster Carer’s Association required funding to help with the weekly youth club activities for fostered children up to 18-years. They have not been able to hold sessions throughout the lockdown period. They plan to present activities and challenges by Zoom on a weekly basis, run by volunteer foster carers throughout September and October. They require the funding for prizes to run competitions around artwork and stories to build a book of “life in lockdown” for our fostered children that can be added to their memory books for the future. The impact this will have is to ensure a strong extended fostering family that will provide secure foundations and family links to survive the lockdown.
Love Life UK in Barnsley received funding to resume fitness sessions and an online service to assist them with their current programme. The funding will also help employ additional staff, PPE equipment, extra venue hire costs, cleaning products and some new clean sports equipment to assist with the online workshops and to engage with more young people.
Rachel Staniforth, Head of the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit said: “This funding could not have come at a better time for these organisations. In March, the country went in to a lockdown that we had never seen before and the community groups who help young and vulnerable people had to close.
“These groups had no warning and had to close their doors to people that relied on them for many reasons. With no income and no means to collect donations or fund raise, they have been left with very few resources. The new government restrictions also means that they are in need of PPE, extra people to run sessions and they have a big demand of people wanting to get back to some form of normality.
“I am really pleased that we had the opportunity to support so many small organisations with this funding.”
Thirty-eight organisations in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield are to receive grants ranging from £100 to £25,000 from a total fund of over £130,000.
Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner said: “I very much welcome this funding from the government.
“The coronavirus, and the social distancing restrictions that have followed from it, has made it very difficult for community and voluntary groups to continue with many of their usual services and activities.
“This money will help them find alternative ways of helping people, not least young people and the more vulnerable.
“I am particularly pleased that we have been able to help so many different groups across the county.”
You can see a full list of organisations that have received funding across South Yorkshire on our website here – Vulnerable Children’s Charities funding
