The Covid-19 pandemic has proven an unprecedented challenge for much of the world, and Warwickshire no less than anywhere else. Untold pressures have been brought to bear on individuals, families, organisations and key service providers, and the longer term impact of these is yet to manifest.
The Police and Crime Commissioner is concerned about the difficulties experienced by Warwickshire’s residents and the county’s service providers and has decided to make additional grant funding available for the purposes of recovery in the coming months. The Covid-19 Recovery Fund aims to help organisations respond to, survive, and recover from the impact of Covid-19.
In June 2020 the application process opened for bids from community, voluntary, third sector, private and statutory organisations that deliver projects or services at a countywide level or local level within Warwickshire (North Warwickshire, Rugby Borough, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough, Warwick District and Stratford District).
Organisations were able to submit one bid each, with applications limited to £5, 000 for most applicants. Organisations seeking amounts under £1,000 could submit a donation request instead. A full set of guidance was provided to applicants: PCC Covid-19 Recovery Grant Guidance Notes 2020-21.
Successful bids
All bids were assessed using a rigorous evaluation process and scoring system, with the PCC making all final decisions on recommended grant allocations. In August 2020, the following allocations were confirmed:
Total awarded: | £51,974.58 | |||||
Name of project | Organisation | Grant Category | Geographical location | Purpose of the grant | Area of Police and Crime Plan the project supports | Award value |
Bike Maintenance Training for Vulnerable Young People | Aim Education Ltd | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | North Warwickshire | To provide an upskilling and diversionary project for vulnerable young people, particularly those outside of mainstream education. This is particularly important in light of Covid19 and the subsequent lockdown restricting other engagement opportunities such as through schools and youth clubs for so long. | Protecting People from Harm. Preventing and Reducing Crime. | £432.00 |
Road to Recovery | Arty Folks | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | Countywide | To further support vulnerable and isolated individuals in small villages such as Stockton and Wolvey, and other areas of Nuneaton, Rugby, Warwick and Bedworth. This project involves house visits to service users and provision of art activity packs to ensure they are staying safe and remain connected. | Protecting People from Harm | £500.00 |
Detached Youth Work | Aspire in Arts | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | Nuneaton and North Warwickshire | This project will pay for additional staff time so that the organisation’s youth workers can go out to where young people are meeting to help protect the young people from harm (physically and mentally, from exploitation etc) and to also help to reduce crime (low level ASB etc). The JNC Qualified Youth Workers will engage with the young people about the effects of the virus, and also encourage them to join in with Aspire in Arts’ online creative arts and music sessions on Zoom. Through engaging young people on a detached basis it will also be possible to refer them to other specialist services as and when required (e.g. COMPASS etc). | Protecting People from Harm, Preventing and Reducing Crime. | £4897.20 |
Unity Into Community | Benn Partnership Centre | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | Rugby | To offer partnership services and support to young and adult black community members in Rugby in light of the challenges that have arisen for this group during Covid19. | Protecting People from Harm | £3848.00 |
Redesign Project | Bradby Club | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | Rugby | Whilst Bradby Club supports young people from its centre in East Union Street, guidelines have meant that at this time this is not possible. Despite this, work has continued throughout, with online sessions running 3 times a week and one to one mentoring sessions continuing using various online methods. In order to continue this work, this funding will a) purchase new laptops as well as the software and accessories needed to continue these online sessions and to facilitate home working where needed on a continue basis. It will b) fund bikes and appropriately branded clothing for youth workers to ride out to where youths are gathering to engage with them in person. | Protecting People from Harm | £4794.38 |
Safe & Well Activity Coordinator | Cohort 4 | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth | To fund a Sessional Activity Coordinator’s hours to support women’s wellbeing and occupation of time to remain safe, to reduce risk of harm and to reduce loneliness. This is a peer-led group. Service users are survivors of domestic abuse and/or sexual abuse. | Putting Victims and Survivors First. Protecting People from Harm | £4536.00 |
Online Engagement with Victims, Witnesses and Communities | EQuIP | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | Countywide | To purchase some of the necessary IT equipment for frontline EQuIP workers to enable them to continue to engage online with target communities and to support victims and witnesses remotely of crimes such as hate crime remotely. | Putting Victims and Survivors First | £2442.00 |
ESH Works | ESH Community | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | Countywide | To increase staff levels temporarily to provide additional support for essential drug and alcohol detox at the residential rehabilitation facility once they reopen post-lockdown. | Protecting People from Harm | £5,000.00 |
Vehicle Fundraiser | Ettington Community First Responders Scheme | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | Stratford and Warwick | A donation towards the replacement of the ECFRS Ambulance vehicle to enable these volunteers to continue to support the emergency services through the provision of initial medical assistance at accidents and incidents. | Protecting People from Harm, Putting Victims and Survivors First | £250.00 |
Online Arson Awareness Year 7 and Group work | Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | Countywide | To fund the development of an online education platform for school-based Arson Awareness Education. Due to the pandemic this education has not been delivered and delivery of this work is likely to be disrupted for a considerable time as schools adjust to a new normality. This platform will enable delivery to a larger number of schools and on a schedule to suit them. | Preventing and Reducing Crime. Protecting People from Harm | £2,500.00 |
ILEAP Stay Creative and Connected | Inclusive Leisure Education Activities Project | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | Countywide | Funding to contribute towards a new and innovative programme of online activities targeted at vulnerable people who are shielding and risk isolation at this time, to ensure they remain safe and secure but also connected. | Protect People from Harm | £500.00 |
Tackling Trauma and Isolation | New Hope Counselling | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | Countywide | To equip counsellors with appropriate IT equipment to better enable them to conduct counselling remotely in the long term, ensuring lockdown and accessibility restrictions do not remove service users’ ability to access important support services. A small portion of the funding will also be used to support clients who have experienced serious trauma with current financial challenges. | Putting Victims and Survivors First | £4,150.00 |
Stratford Refuge Child Victims Outdoor Play Project | Refuge | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | Stratford | To contribute towards the replacement of a Child Victims Outdoor Play Area, used as part of child victim therapy, at the Stratford Refuge site. Current equipment is no longer fit for use but is important to engaging positively in a relaxed environment with young people requiring support. This is more important than ever as lockdown has led to an increase in occurences and reports of domestic abuse. | Putting Victims and Survivors First | £1,000.00 |
Warwickshire Helpline Support Service (Sexual Abuse) | Safeline | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | Countywide | To enable the continuation of Safeline’s Helpline for Warwickshire’s victims and survivors of sexual abuse during Covid19 lockdown and ongoing restrictions. Safeline recently secured short-term COVID funding via the Police and Crime Commissioner from the Ministry of Justice to recruit a Helpline advisor, to provide dedicated, telephone support for Warwickshire victims/survivors when face-to-face support is not possible. The funding ends 31 October, however, demand for this type of support has exceeded expectations and this funding will enable the continuation of the project for for a further 2-months. | Putting Victims and Survivors First | £5,000.00 |
SOCJAG Interventions | Warwickshire County Council | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | Countywide /Rugby |
Young people’s vulnerability has increased as their access to supporting agencies and structures (e.g. schools) has diminished during lockdown. This project will see a multi-disciplined interventions group being established to identify young people who are at risk of becoming exploited and becoming involved in crime. The group will use a Risk and Protective factor framework, based on contextual safeguarding that will identify key interventions that would be most appropriate, mapping out a young person’s longer journey through the interventions process. The ultimate aim is to reduce targetted young people’s vulnerability to exploitation, victimisation and criminality. | Protecting People from Harm, Reducing Reoffending, Preventing Crime | £5000.00 |
Sea Cadets – Covid19 Adaptation | Stratford Sea Cadets | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | Stratford | Contribution to costs of adaptation measures to allow Youths 10-18 years resumed access to sea cadet activities safely. Initially this is via virtual training but will also include additional health and safety measures to allow the reopening of the community building for face to face training and activities. | Protecting People from Harm | £1,000.00 |
Eradicating ASB (Earlswood) | Tanworth-in-Arden Parish Council | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | Stratford | A donation towards the Earlswood Lakes Working Group’s efforts to improve security and tackle issues such as illegal parking and anti-social behaviour around the Earlswood Lakes site. This donation is made specifically in light of the significant challenges concerning poor and illegal road user behaviour and anti-social behaviour Earlswood Lakes residents have experienced as a result of lockdown and subsequent surges in visitor numbers to the site. | Reducing and Preventing Crime | £500.00 |
Avon Valley Community First Responder Scheme | Avon Valley Community First Responder Scheme | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | Stratford | To contribute to the costs of the Avon Valley CFRS which supports frontline emergency workers to respond to those needing swift medical assistance, including those injured as a result of crime. | Protecting People from Harm, Putting Victims and Survivors First | £250.00 |
Love Lillington Grant Fund | Love Lillington | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | Warwick | To contribute to support offered to Lillington’s most vulnerable communities at this most challenging time. | Protecting People from Harm | £250.00 |
Make Lunch | St Michael’s Church, Budbrook | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | Warwick | A donation towards provision of craft materials for children on FSM or in newly challenged families during the remaining summer break, October and December school holidays. Also towards provision of food parcels for challenged families. | Protecting People from Harm | £250.00 |
Piccadilly Community Centre Reopening | Piccadilly Community Centre Reopening | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | North Warwickshire | To contribute towards costs of reopening the centre in a safe way through provision of appropriate hand-sanitising and hygiene measures. Centre has lost income during lockdown due to inability to hire rooms out. | Protecting People from Harm | £250.00 |
Salvation Army Telephone Support – Homeless Community | Salvation Army | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | Countywide | To help fund emotional support and practical advice activities, currently being delivered through phone calls, to service users (who are homeless or vulnerably housed). This community has been hard-hit by coronavirus. Support includes face-to-face socially distanced visits when necessary, food parcels, liaising with authorities to obtain benefits and sort out issues such as rent arrears, help to access medical support including for mental health, and working with agencies such as Probation Services on their behalf. | Protecting People from Harm | £1,000.00 |
Shutty Supper Club | Shuttington Parish Council | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | North Warwickshire | A donation towards Shutty Supper Club. This group aims to provide advice, support, and homecooked meals to those in the Parish who have been identified as particularly vulnerable in both villages (Shuttington & Alvecote) and at risk from ASB/Doorstep Fraud & increased fear and Mental Health issues. | Protecting People from Harm | £250.00 |
Pre-School Reopening Covid19 Measures | Wootton Wawen Pre-School | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Donation | Stratford | To support the safe reopening of the school setting which will reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19 within the Pre-School setting and consequently the wider community. This will include the introduction of additional, ongoing enhanced cleaning regimes as required for educational settings. | Protecting People from Harm | £250.00 |
Rural Crime Specials Support | Special Constabulary (Warwickshire Police) | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | Countywide | Specials have completed a significantly heightened number of hours during lockdown to support the police during these challenging times, and in order to respond even more effectively have requested drones training and associated equipment for x3 Rural Crime Specials to recognise their significant commitment and further enable them to support Warwickshire Police. | Ensuring Efficient and Effective Policing. | £2125.00 |
Equine Therapy – Covid19 Support | Compass | Covid-19 Recovery Fund Grant | Countywide | Project already funded by PCC Small Grants, now seeking additional funding to enable transport of participants due to Covid19 restrictions preventing group travel/travel in the youth workers’ cars. Public transport is not an option due to remote rural location of site. | Reducing Reoffending. Protecting People from Harm | £1,000.00 |
Projects funded under this scheme must be completed, or the money awarded spent, by the end of March 2021. Any unspent funding must be promptly returned to the OPCC.