Posted on 3 July 2023
As part of Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week 2023, we are celebrating the ASB Heroes in our communities across Derby and Derbyshire. Here are a few examples:
We've also got information about how you can be an ASB Hero in your local community.
Insight Community Project
In 2020, 3 passionate Long Eaton residents established Insight Community Project, because they felt there was very little for young people to do in their area and they knew how beneficial attending a youth club was when they were teenagers.
Community Engagement Officers at Erewash Borough Council helped them to establish the group and apply for funding. In 2022, Insight were successful in securing £20,000 through a Derbyshire County Council grant.
The funding helps Insight to offer a range of sessions, including music production, creative arts and multi-sports, to engage and inspire young people, encouraging positive, rather than anti-social, behaviour. They also run school holiday activities and outreach projects to engage young people, who are less likely to go to a traditional youth club.
Insight gives young people a safe place to socialise, supported by positive adult role models. The young people often say how much they appreciate adults being interested in them.
If you would like to get involved to help inspire young people in the Long Eaton area, contact Insight Community Project.
Chesterfield Litter Picking Group
Chesterfield Litter Picking group meet every Sunday and complete many hours of group litter picking. During one of the litter picks, 40 bags of rubbish were collected, weighing 146 kilograms!
Lee Brassington, from Brimington, is a particularly passionate litter picker and has committed to 500 miles of litter picking, across Derbyshire and the Peak District, to pick 5000 kgs of litter along the way, to raise money for Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice and raise awareness of littering.
If you want to get involved, email Chesterfield Litter Picking Group at traceyclifford7@gmail.com
Boots on the Ground
This project has been running in Chesterfield for the last 12 months and is making a dramatic difference to vulnerable young people in the town, providing them a safe space, guidance, support and the sense of feeling valued. The volunteers working for the project engage with young people though events and provide one-to one support.
Local businesses and communities have reported a significant reduction in youth related anti-social behaviour and this has been confirmed by a reduction in incidents reported to the police.
On 3 July, the Boots on the Ground (BOG) Youth Hub opens its doors, so they can help even more young people in Chesterfield.
If you want to get involved with Boots on the Ground, there are volunteering and paid opportunities, email jaynebacon@spireitestrust.org.uk
Litter picking in Amber Valley
ASB litter pick Hero, Ruth Cooper, has been litter picking in her local community for many years but, during COVID when she had extra time available, she took it upon herself to litter pick in other areas of the borough as well.
Ruth contacts the council when she has a substantial amount of litter to collect otherwise, if it will fit, she disposes of it in her household bins.
Amber Valley Borough Council don't organise litter picks but want to encourage local communities to do their bit in keeping their environment clean and tidy. If you would like further advice or support to do this, contact their Green Spaces team tel: 01773 570222.
Stonebroom HAF group
In 2022, the Community Involvement Team from Rykneld Homes, started working with the Stonebroom Community Volunteer group to provide school holiday activities, using Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) funding. The funding was to provide children with access to physical activity, learn new skills and have a meal to tackle holiday hunger.
The group formed Stonebroom HAF group, which has been instrumental in arranging a number of activity days during the holidays to tackle holiday hunger and also deter anti-social behaviour. The group work free of charge and have seen attendances of over 70 young people at each session. Other agencies, such as the police, fire service, Rykneld Homes, go to support the project and work with the young people, during some of the sessions.
The young people get involved in physical activities, craft workshops, environment activities, cooking. They have access to lots of information about support services and also receive a food hamper, with cooking instructions, to do a meal at home with their families. They are encouraged to show respect for each other, staff/volunteers and their own communities and there has been great feedback from local residents.
These projects are continuing over the summer holidays in Mickley and Stonebroom for young people living in the Shirland ward.
If you have an idea to improve your area and reduce anti-social behaviour in North East Derbyshire, get in touch with the Community Involvement Team by emailing get.invovled@rykneldhomes.org.uk
Helen Thornhill, nominated by PCSO Brian Buller, has actively helped to create local youth clubs in the Glossopdale area. She has provided activities for young people during school holidays at multiple venues. She has also arranged activities with local groups and families, including schools, in the Glossop area.
To add to this, Helen is looking to provide street activities/street games in areas where there are high levels of anti-social behaviour, to make a positive difference to the community.
Dawn Gee, nominated by PCSO Supervisor Sam Coleman, has been doing fantastic work in her local community for over twenty years. When anti-social behaviour began to occur and escalate in Dawn’s community, she saw the effect it was having on those living in the area and decided to do something about it.
Two decades later, the volunteer-led Carlisle Against Crime group is still going strong, with Dawn at the helm. Working with the police and partners, they’ve adapted to face new challenges, such as deliveries to the vulnerable during the Coronavirus pandemic, as well as providing important local services, such as coffee mornings and socialising opportunities.
Rebecca Patrick, nominated by PCSO Supervisor Jennifer Lorimer, is currently spear heading plans to set up and run diversionary activities within the Heanor and Langley Mill area. She is working with businesses to plan and run diversionary activities for young people to reduce anti-social behaviour and making a positive difference in what the local area has to offer young people.
Rebecca hasn’t just focused on activities that she believes the young people want to do, she is actively working with schools, speaking to young people and really getting a good understanding of their needs and what the young people would be interested in.
The local Safer Neighbourhood Team is looking forward to working with Rebecca to support her future plans, which include bringing young people and older generations together to overcome stereotypes and ensure that everyone can feel safe and welcome in their local community.
Do you want to be an ASB Hero?
Here are some ideas about you can get involved in you local community as part of the effort to reduce anti-social behaviour:
Funding
In Derbyshire we know that residents have great ideas about what would make where they live better and we want to help you make this possible by providing grants to support local community groups turn good ideas into projects which make a difference.
Derbyshire County Council grants are available to voluntary and community groups, clubs, local charities and not for profit organisations. This investment in local people and communities creates opportunities for them to adapt, develop and grow.
Litter picking
There are lots of groups in Derbyshire, helping to keep Derbyshire tidy. Here are just a few:
If you want to do some litter picking in your local community, contact your local council and they will be able to advise you how to do it safely.
If you'd like to start some youth activities in your area, contact your local Community Safety Officer, who is based at your local council, and they will be able to support and advise you on how you might go about it.
Derbyshire Constabulary
If you have some time to spare in your busy life, would like to help your local community and are interested in a career with the police, the Special Constabulary is the ideal place for you. Special Constables are dedicated individuals who, after a hard day at work in their regular job, still have the enthusiasm and drive it takes to devote some of their free time to help others. Find out more on the Special Constables page on the police website.
If being a Special Constable isn't for you, there are other ways you can work alongside police officers, PCSOs, special constables and police staff to protect the public and cut down crime. Police Support Volunteers bring a wide range of skills and experience that add huge value to the work of trained police officers and staff. Find out more on the Police Support Volunteers page on the police website.
Neighbourhood Watch
Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch is a community-based program that aims to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, improve safety and communication in local neighbourhoods to create more connected communities.
It is a voluntary initiative and getting involved is easy! Contact Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch and they will give you information and support to become an active member or start a new Neighbourhood Watch in your area.
tel: 0300 122 8526 (offices are open on Tuesday and Wednesday)
email: hello@derbyshireneighbourhoodwatch.co.uk.
By joining Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch, you can help create a safer and more secure community for everyone.
General volunteering
If you're thinking of giving up some of your time to get more involved in your community, Derbyshire County Council has a list of local organisations looking for volunteers.