02 July 2009
The Caerphilly Neighbourhood Policing Team has worked with the local community and partners to purchase £400 worth of sporting equipment for young people in Trecenydd.
A grant of £250 was supplied by the Well of Hope charity shop in Ystrad Mynach. Trecenydd residents donated unwanted items to sell at the charity shop, to help raise the money. Another £150 was donated by the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership.
Sporting equipment, including footballs, rugby balls, cricket, tennis and badminton sets will be available for local children to use during a weekly club at the Trecenydd Community Centre.
Volunteers and coaches are running the club on Wednesdays from 4:00pm to 6:00pm for young people between the ages of 8 and 18. Communities First are also funding a sports coach for the first six weeks, and have bought portable rugby and football posts.
Officers are working with the community to provide activities for young people, due to residents concerns about anti-social behaviour in the area.
Inspector Paul Staniforth, said: "This is just one example of how we are working with the community to help introduce activities for local youths to take part in. The sports club will provide a constructive way for them to spend their time, and we have had fantastic support from the local community who are volunteering their time to ensure that this is a success.
"As well as introducing diversionary activities, we will also be continuing enforcement activities around Trecenydd and Glenfields to take action against persistent offenders of anti-social behaviour."
Local resident Jeffery Webster will be helping to run the Wednesday night club, with other local volunteers and Caerphilly Council youth workers. He said: "It's good to be able to give something back to the community and to provide the children with something positive to take part in. Committee members from the Trecenydd Community Centre are also volunteering their time. We want the children to make the most of the club and the sporting equipment and to come along and join in."
Caerphilly County Borough Council's cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Lyn Ackerman said: "The purchase of this sporting equipment, together with the guidance that a sports coach will provide, will mean that youngsters from Trecenydd and the surrounding area have more constructive ways to fill their leisure time.
"Tackling anti-social behaviour in and around Trecenydd has consistently been a priority for local residents who attend PACT meetings, and we will continue to work with our colleagues at Gwent Police as well as the local community to ensure that youngsters have alternative activities to take part in, as a diversion from possible anti-social activity."
In addition to the sports club, volunteers are also holding a youth club between 6:30pm and 9:00pm on Wednesday nights.
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