June 05, 2023 - 485 views
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin visited the Kind Bay Initiative base in Seaview Road, Colwyn Bay on May 30 to see the vital work the organisation is doing in the community and to see how money taken from criminals is being used for the good of the people in the area through art.
The Kind Bay Initiative is an inclusive organisation that supports those that are vulnerable, lonely or isolated and those that suffer with mental health challenges in Colwyn Bay. The money, from the Your Community, Your Choice fund, is helping the Kind Bay Initiative is to develop their arts and wellness programme by creating a 'Kind Bay Collective Group' which will involve those most vulnerable in the community and allow them to come together to learn and develop skills taught by local artists.
Your Community, Your Choice is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2023 and, over the past ten years, a total of over £500,000 has been awarded to more than 150 projects working to reduce crime in their areas and to support the priorities in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan. The Your Community, Your Choice fund supports grass-roots projects and is supported by the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT) and North Wales Police. The funding for Your Community, Your Choice comes partly from money seized by the courts through the Proceeds of Crime Act, with the rest from the Commissioner.
While at the Kind Bay Initiative community hub, Andy Dunbobbin, Assistant Chief Constable of North Wales Police, Chris Allsop, and Dave Evans of PACT met people taking part in the art activities and heard from them how much the hub, and what it offers means, to them. One attendee, Mike, commented: “Coming here helps stop the loneliness of living by myself and helps with mental wellbeing. It is something to look forward to, with visits planned, activities on offer and being able to see friends. I would be lost without it.”
Among the activities taking place during the afternoon of the visit were tile making, creating ceramic fish, and the production of Christmas tree decorations. All items will be available for purchase at the monthly Colwyn Bay Artisan Market to help fund the work of the Kind Bay Initiative.
Helen Robinson, Chair/Director, The Kind Bay Initiative, said: “We were delighted to host the Police and Crime Commissioner and to share the message of our hard work in supporting those vulnerable and in need in the community.
“The money that has been awarded will enable us to buy art materials so we can develop a 'working group' made up of attendees who will be taught skills by local artists and creatives, boosting confidence, self-esteem and giving much needed recognition. The attendees will be involved in selling their items, helping us to be more sustainable, and also giving them the opportunity to pay back into the service that supports them!
“We will also take the group on cultural trips to inspire their work, to provide support and companionship and a positive focus, especially when it comes to making life choices. We know what a difference our support makes and how we are often the family that many don’t have. We know that this award will create a very positive focus in our attendees lives and we are very grateful!”
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin said: “I was delighted to join the Kind Bay Initiative team and to see the fantastic work they are doing to support vulnerable and isolated people in Colwyn Bay. Art is a great way of helping people to deal with trauma and other problems that they might have experienced. Without this support these vulnerable people might be lonely, or find other ways of dealing with their trauma and loneliness, perhaps through crime and other forms of anti-social behaviour. The Kind Bay Initiative offers a positive, creative and supportive outlet for people in need in our community.”
PACT Chairman Ashley Rogers stated: “Grass roots projects are the life blood for improving communities across North Wales, making them safer and more resilient places to live. The Kind Bay Initiative is a great example of this in action and it’s a pleasure to be able to support them through Your Community, Your Choice. It is superb to see all this positivity generated through creativity and hard work.”
North Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Chris Allsop said: “This is a very worthwhile group which is making a big difference to the lives of people in Colwyn Bay. The support the Kind Bay Initiative offers to people in need is important and can help to reduce crime in our communities. I am sure the Your Community, Your Choice funding will help them in their work.”
To learn more about PACT visit www.pactnorthwales.co.uk and to learn more about the work of the Office of the Police and crime Commissioner, visit www.northwales-pcc.gov.uk.
For more information on the Kind Bay Initiative, visit their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/thekindbayinitiative.
