A donation by Ward Councillors in Grimsby is helping young people to create wildlife havens for gardens in our area.
Park Ward Councillors Marian Boyd, Daniel Westcott and Paul Silvester, have agreed to donate £500 to the Council’s Youth Justice Service to cover the cost of materials.
Young people working with the service will use these materials to make bird boxes and bug hotels, which will then be distributed throughout the borough’s parks and open spaces.
The funding is from the Councillor’s Ward Funding. Each Ward has a pot of funding that Councillors can award to organisations and community groups to support projects locally.
Park Ward Councillor, Daniel Westcott, said:
“Following a very inspiring visit to part of our Youth Justice Services at Kent Street, all three Park Ward councillors were keen to earmark a portion of our ward funding towards materials for community-based orders.
“We were very impressed by some of the work taking place, including providing newly restored cycles to jobseekers and the recently employed. However, it was the construction of bird boxes and bug hotels that really caught our eye and we intend for some of these to be erected in various locations around the ward.
“Not only is there an obvious environmental aspect to this project, but the young people involved are acquiring valuable new skills, creating something they can be proud of and genuinely giving back to the community.
“Both ourselves and a great deal of the public we engage with are keen to see community orders utilised far more, both at youth and adult level. If local residents can see those involved in crime/anti-social behaviour “paying for their actions” in a positive way, this should not only act as a deterrent, but also encouragement for those causing problems in our communities to do something more constructive.”
Councillor Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities at North East Lincolnshire Council, said:
“I’m really grateful to the Park Ward Councillors for putting their confidence in the work carried out by our Youth Justice team to support young people and keep them engaged in meaningful and positive activities.
“This piece of work really helps to instil skills in some of our young people that can help them in the long run, and it does give them a sense of achievement. Added to that, the end results that are produced look fantastic in our open spaces and really brighten them up, creating a haven for wildlife.”
To find out more about the work of the Council’s Youth Justice Service, visit Youth Justice Service | NELC (nelincs.gov.uk).
For more information on Ward Councillor funding, visit www.nelincs.gov.uk.
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