South Region News
An education in the world of work!
Great Places recently welcomed school children from our Knustford neighbourhood into our head office to help inspire a new generation into the world of work.
Great Places’ partnership with Manor Park Primary school was formed to help build and sustain the local community’s financial resilience by raising its young people’s aspirations. Great Places is facilitating a series of events, including trips to Manchester Airport and local business Amelia Knight.
Great Places’ partnership with Manor Park Primary school was formed to help build and sustain the local community’s financial resilience by raising its young people’s aspirations. Great Places is facilitating a series of events, including trips to Manchester Airport and local business Amelia Knight.
As part of their commitment to social value, three of Great Places’ contractors also took part in the day (Sure Maintenance – Gas Servicing; VPS Group Cleaning Specialists and Poole Dick – Construction Consultants).
Commenting on the visit, Manor Park School’s Head Teacher, Simon Cotterill, said:
“Our school vision is to have limitless dreams and endless opportunities. Our school values are respect, responsibility, pride, reflection and resilience. It has been so wonderful for our children to experience how these values are the same for adults in the ‘real world’ as it is for them. Our visit is part of a wider project to support our children to challenge themselves to think big and to reach out for their dream. We are helping the children to understand the skills and attributes they will need to be a success, not just in the world of work but as kind, generous and hard working adults. We are so grateful to Great Places for supporting our project and for providing these amazing experiences. The smiles and joy we’ve seen today on the faces of the children and adults is priceless. Thank you.”
Alison Dean, Deputy Chief Executive at Great Places Housing Group, said:
“This project demonstrates our commitment to our neighbourhoods and to creating strong, sustainable communities. By engaging with local children, we believe that we can influence their aspirations and attitude to learning, which could help improve their longer term employability outcomes and financial security. These children will be our future customers and we are committed to help them achieve their goals.”
Great Places at forefront of knife crime campaign
Great Places Housing Group has commissioned a documentary on knife crime created by young people from Salford, who have been involved in all aspects of the production, from interviewing the participants to the sound, filming and editing.
The project is a partnership with REELMCR, a local community engagement and media production company.
Although knife crime in Salford has reduced by nine per cent in 2022 when compared to the previous year, knife crime nationally has been on the increase for a number of years across the UK. In the last year alone, from March 2021 to March 2022, there has been a 10 per cent increase according to the Office of National Statistics.
The Great Places team in Salford recognised the need to proactively address this national trend to protect our neighbourhoods and wanted to take action to raise awareness of the issue.
The documentary was funded by Great Places and Equans through social value, and is aimed at young people aged 11 and upwards to be used in schools or other youth settings. Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett and Lead Member for Community Safety Cllr Barbara Bentham were joined by Simon Robinson, Great Places’ Director of Neighbourhoods, and other dignitaries at the premiere of the film and to unveil the first of six bleed cabinets.
As well as promoting the film throughout the community, Great Places is a valued partner of Project Gulf and they have worked together to fund six bleed cabinets that have been installed across the city, each containing a bleed control kit which can enable a member of the public to provide lifesaving treatment in the event of a stabbing or any other catastrophic bleeding.
Project Gulf, a partnership aimed at targeting those involved in organised crime and gang members, also funds valuable services which work with children and young people at risk of gang violence, to steer them away from crime and into a better future. The bleed control kits have been funded from the proceeds of crime action by GMP.
Great Places’ partnership with Manor Park Primary school was formed to help build and sustain the local community’s financial resilience by raising its young people’s aspirations. Great Places is facilitating a series of events, including trips to Manchester Airport and local business Amelia Knight.
As part of their commitment to social value, three of Great Places’ contractors also took part in the day (Sure Maintenance – Gas Servicing; VPS Group Cleaning Specialists and Poole Dick – Construction Consultants).
The bleed control kits have been funded from the proceeds of crime action by GMP.
Great Places’ Simon Robinson said:
“Knife crime is a scourge on the streets of the nation. It ruins lives and communities, which is why we are proud to play a part in combatting this awful crime.
“We have a commitment to try and improve the lives of the people who live in our homes and our communities and this innovative approach to embedding the human cost to knife crime is one we hope will have a profound effect.”
Kelly Brown, who has become a campaigner against knife crime following the death of her son Rhamero West in 2021, added:
““The loss of my son Rhamero has given me so much fight to make a change so that no other parent goes through the pain I have and I am still going through. I hope my message is powerful and we can get the message across it’s not good to carry a knife for one silly act can ruin so many lives.”
Watch the video here or visit: www.greatplaces.org.uk/knifecrime
