A Warrington community group has become the first to awarded £1,000 from Cheshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane to help it support local residents affected by recent flooding.
The Roy Humphrey’s Centre in Longford has received the grant from the Commissioner’s Safer Communities express grant fund to purchase cleaning products, food and clothing for those whose homes have been flooded.
The community centre, which usually provides activities for older people in the area, has been supporting local people through the Coronavirus pandemic delivering meals to those isolating and now it’s helping with the flooding clean-up.
It’s the first of a number of Cheshire organisations to have applied for the emergency funding after PCC David Keane announced it was available in response to flooding caused by Storm Christoph.
Flood warnings and alerts were put in place across Cheshire last week and some residents in Warrington and also Chester, Northwich, Tattenhall and Winsford were evacuated from their homes.
The grant from the Commissioner has come from a funding pot which takes money from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act (PoCA 2002) and reinvests it back into the community.
The emergency fund has been used over the last year to support Cheshire residents through the pandemic with more than £75,000 already awarded and now it’s being used for flooding recovery.
PCC David Keane said: “The floods which hit parts of Cheshire last week were devastating for many residents and businesses as they saw flood waters consume their homes and premises.
“As well as the support from the emergency services and local authorities, it’s times like this that we need to come together as communities to support each other. It’s fantastic to see so many community organisations like the Roy Humphrey’s Centre responding and supporting vulnerable people.
“I’d like to remind people that there is still emergency funding available for groups supporting Cheshire residents through the flooding or the pandemic. We will process grant applications as soon as possible to get funds to our communities at this critical time.”
Amanda Gillespie, charity leader from the Roy Humphrey’s Centre, added: “Some of the streets local to the Centre have been affected by the flooding, including the bungalows where a lot of older people reside.
“We will use the funding to ensure they are supported, can access any help they need and can move forward after the floods. It will help families with the clean-up operation and provide essentials they may have lost during the flooding.”
For more information on the Safer Communities fund and an application form, please visit: https://www.cheshire-pcc.gov.uk/what-i-do/making-cheshire-safer/proceeds-of-crimecommunity-fund/
