A £250,000 fund
for projects run by young people to tackle knife crime was
launched by Home Secretary Theresa May and Brooke Kinsella today.
The new 'Ben Kinsella Fund' will be
administered by youth charity The Prince's Trust. Fifty
grants will be available for young people to run positive
anti-knife crime activities in their local area. Campaigner and
actress Brooke Kinsella, whose brother Ben was murdered in 2008,
will work with The Prince's Trust to select the
successful projects.
The grants will be targeted at areas with high levels of
knife crime and serious youth violence and will be for projects
which directly benefit other disadvantaged young people.
Home Secretary Theresa May said:
"I am extremely grateful to Brooke for the hard work
she has undertaken over the last few months. It is clear there is
some great work going on across the country to tackle knife crime.
"The 'Ben Kinsella Fund' will help
young people deliver valuable projects in their local areas whilst
providing them with long-term life skills.
"Local people know what works in their community and
this fund will help some inspiring young people really make a
difference to their neighbourhoods."
Each project will be given the assistance of a dedicated
mentor from The Prince's Trust who will assist the young
people in delivering their project and provide them with key
skills, to help them into work or training in the future.
Brooke Kinsella said:
"Over the last few years I have seen people of all
ages working together with their neighbours, the police, local
charities and government to try and make a difference and drive
knife crime out of their communities.
"This fund will give some of these young people the
support they need to run anti-knife crime projects in their local
area and I really hope it will make a difference to their
neighbourhoods."
Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince's Trust
said:
"Too many young people are trapped in a cycle
of poverty and unemployment. This can become a downward spiral
into violence, crime - or worse.
"The Ben Kinsella Fund will give young people the chance
to break this cycle, giving them new skills and a voice to help
change other young lives too."
The fund follows on from Brooke Kinsella fact-finding mission
where she saw a selection of the great work taking place around
the country to help steer young people away from a life of crime.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
1. For details of the 'Ben Kinsella Home Office
Community Cash Awards' and more information on The
Prince's Trust Community Cash Awards, visit: www.princes-trust.org.uk/communitycash
or call 0800 842 842.
2. Brooke Kinsella was asked by the Home Secretary and the Prime
Minister in June to head up a fact-finding mission into the work
of schemes designed to stop young people carrying and using
knives. Brooke visited 23 projects across the country during
August and September.
3. The Prince's Trust helps change young lives in the UK
through practical and financial support, developing skills as well
as confidence and motivation. Since the charity was founded by HRH
The Prince of Wales in 1976, it has helped over 600,000 young
people across the UK and continues to support 100 more every
working day. Further information about The Prince's Trust
is available at www.princes-trust.org.uk.
4. For more information call the Home Office press office.
Contacts:
Home Office Press Office
Phone: 020 7035 3535
NDS.HO@coi.gsi.gov.uk