Young people strive to make neighbourhoods safer
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
09/05/2006
Young people strive to make neighbourhoods safer
A youth cinema, tea parties with the elderly and a community garden were all winning ideas developed by young people in Hammersmith & Fulham as part of London's first Safer Neighbourhoods Annual Challenge, or SNAC - a programme which involved young people working to make their community safer.
The winners of the SNAC, revealed at a red-carpet ceremony at Riverside Studios on Monday, 8th May, were selected from a group of 20 different projects, with more than 100 young people participating in the three-month challenge.
The SNAC was organised by police and Hammersmith and Fulham Council. Chief Inspector John Sutherland said it had far surpassed expectations.
"We hear such a lot of negativity about young people these days that we wanted to help dispel the notion that young people aren't interested in helping out their communities.
“What we discovered through the SNAC was that not only did the young people have some fantastic ideas, they had a real enthusiasm for working hands-on to make their neighbourhood a safer, cleaner place."
Hammersmith & Fulham Council leader, Councillor Stephen Greenhalgh, said: "We have a strong commitment to tackling crime and antisocial behaviour. It's really pleasing to see so many young people coming up with great ideas to help out in our community.
"As a council, we are determined to improve our community and make it a better, safer place for everyone. Congratulations to the young people in our borough who have worked so hard on these projects."
Winning entries included:
15-19
Winner - The Bridge Club: turned a patch of waste ground into a community garden.
First runner-up - W6: Starting a youth cinema in Hammersmith
2nd runner-up - Old Oak Youth: Designing a jungle-inspired mural for the community garden in Old Oak Centre.
11-14
Winner - Adam's Angels: preparing and running a series of tea parties for a group of elderly Fulham residents.
First runner-up - The Sands End Adventure Project - Painting benches and planters, weeding gardens and clearing rubbish in a local residential area.
2nd runner-up - Castle Youth Project: Organised a five-a-side football match with the local Safer Neighbourhoods Team police - to build understanding between police and young people.
Other projects included handing out personal alarms and safety material in Shepherds Bush and planned assertion workshops to address bullying problems.
"The SNAC was a way of getting young people to invest in their neighbourhoods through projects which are helpful and, most of all, fun. The SNAC is a first for London and we hope that it will get bigger and better," Chief Inspector Sutherland said.
Cornerstone Films have made a 5-minute movie documenting several of the projects - this footage is available on request, in addition to high-quality pictures of the participants.
For further information or to set up photographs/interviews, please contact:
Alexandra Thompson, Press Officer, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, 020 8753 2269 or email: alexandra.thompson@lbhf.gov.uk
Editors’ notes
The SNAC has been supported by:
* The Metropolitan Police;
* The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham;
* EMI;
* BBC;
* Fulham Football Club;
* Queens Park Rangers Football Club.
* Chelsea Football Club
* Haymarket Publishing
* United International Pictures
* London Fire Brigade
* Riverside Studios
-ends-
Photos are available from the press office.
