Communities across County Durham and Darlington are set to benefit from £150,000 towards projects aimed at improving community safety and reducing crime, thanks to a new funding scheme to be launched by the Police and Crime Commissioner.
Ron Hogg, Durham’s Police and Crime Commissioner, has teamed up with local grantmaking charity County Durham Community Foundation to deliver the new Community Safety Fund, and presented a cheque to them at an earlier event.
Mr Hogg said: “This scheme was originally managed through my office, and I am delighted to confirm that the new fund will be administered by County Durham Community Foundation.
“I have provided £100,000 of funding to the scheme, and I am pleased to announce this has been topped-up by a further £50,000 from County Durham Community Foundation, under the new grant administration arrangement.”
Barbara Gubbins, Chief Executive of County Durham Community Foundation, said: “This is an exciting new partnership which means that groups who have a particular focus on safety and crime reduction initiatives will be able to access additional funding.
We have been able to increase the grant-making total by 50% through match funding that we currently have available. We look forward to working with the PCC and his team.”
Mr Hogg added: “Ultimately this is excellent news for the area, as residents will benefit from even more community safety initiatives throughout County Durham and Darlington.”
From 1st April 2015, community groups and voluntary sector organisations will be able to apply for funding to help improve community safety and reduce crime by visiting the County Durham Community Foundation website. Details of the scheme will be announced at: www.cdcg.org.uk.