The Commissioner's Crime Prevention Fund is set to distribute over £60,000 to local community groups across Avon and Somerset.

Launched in spring 2022, the Commissioner's Crime Prevention Fund is a partnership between the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) and Quartet Community Foundation (QCF), which aims to support community projects and activities across the force area that help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB).

Organisations that have been awarded grants include:

-   Escapeline will receive £5,000 for child criminal exploitation workshops at schools in Somerset West and Taunton

-   Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support will receive £5,000 to support preventative sexual violence education workshops at secondary schools across Somerset

-   Stand Against Violence will receive £4,800 for violence prevention and county lines workshops in schools across Somerset

-   Taunton East Development Trust will receive £5,000 for new equipment for volunteer community clean-up projects

-   The Nelson Trust will receive £2,500 to help fund targeted programmes for women at risk of exploitation in Somerset

-   Ignite Life will received£3,000 towards mentoring sessions for at-risk young people during the school holidays

-   South Bristol will receive £4,969 to fund expanding the 'Learning to Lead' programme to include children at Fair Furlong Primary School

-   Opoka will receive £2,000 to support awareness raising and outreach work with the Polish community on domestic violence

-   Cornerstone WSM C.I.C will receive £2,500 to help run a weekly LGBTQ+ youth group in Weston-super-Mare

-   Youth Connect South West will receive £4,680 to help provide weekly drop-in sessions in central Bath with the aim of reducing ASB

-   Life Cycle UK will receive £5,000 towards tool and equipment to set up a new bike project in prisons

-   Sea Mills Boys & Girls Club will receive £2,500 to support the 'positive changes' programme for vulnerable people aged 12-15 in the Sea Mills area

-   Groundwork South Trust will receive £4,200 to help fund a range of security measures to reduce criminal damage at the Vench Adventure Playground in Lockleaze

-   Ashton Vale Club for Young People will receive £2,500 to support the 'positive changes' programme for vulnerable young people aged 12-15 in Ashton Vale

-   Key4Life will receive £2,500 to provide a programme supporting young men into employment

-   Southmead Development Trust will receive £4,962 to support a kickboxing and self-defence group for girls at risk of child sexual exploitation

-   DMAC UK will receive £3,870 to support art and performance workshops involving the police, parents and children in Easton

-   Chinese Community Wellbeing Society will receive £2,500 to fund a casework to provide one to one support and deliver workshops to the Chinese community

The Commissioner's Crime Prevention Fund is open once again for applications from charities and groups that run community projects and activities helping to reduce crime and ASB. The next deadline for applications is Friday 30 September 2022.

PCC Mark Shelford said: "Well done to the local community groups and organisations who received grants from the Commissioner's Crime Prevention Fund. I know that these groups will find the additional funding really beneficial in supporting their work that prevents crime in our communities.

"I encourage community groups and organisations to apply for grants as we want to support as many initiatives and projects as possible."

A total of £200,000 is available from the fund.

Groups based in Somerset should apply for a grant by visiting Somerset Community Foundation's website or by calling 01749 344949 before the deadline of Friday 30 September. Any groups based in BANES, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire should apply to Quartet Community Foundation.