Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson's Fund has awarded cash to seven Wiltshire charities.

charities across Wiltshire and Swindon have each been awarded grants of up to £3,000.

The fund, managed by the Community Foundation for Wiltshire and Swindon, is aimed at helping local groups address crime and anti-social behaviour, and improve personal and community security. It raises funds through the sale of unclaimed lost property and makes grants of up to £3,000 twice a year.

One of the charities to benefit is the West Swindon Family Centre. The grant will fund the Hand in Hand project for  women with young children who  have experienced domestic violence. 

Unlike other services supporting this client group, the ‘Hand in Hand’ project focuses specifically on providing women with the tools to develop their parenting skills.

According to research, in up to 90 per cent of domestic violence incidents, children are in the same or next room and more than 40 per cent of the children concerned are under the age of five. In Swindon, it is estimated that 4,800 women have been victims of domestic violence within the past year, involving approximately 1,000 children.

In violent households, parenting can become unpredictable, inconsistent and ineffective.  Children exposed to domestic violence are  more likely to become violent as adults. This much needed project paves the way for supportive relationships with a non-abusive parent, which helps protect children from the adverse effects of domestic Violence.

The other projects to be awarded grants are:

Waste Not Want Not and KFR, two furniture recycling charities who between them cover the whole of north, west and central Wiltshire, providing affordable household goods for those on low incomes and training with work opportunities for their volunteers.

Longmeadow Tenants and Residents Association fighting anti-social behaviour in Trowbridge.

Swan Advocacy Network for a project working with the 4 womens’ refuges in Wiltshire

Life Education Centre which works with children aged 3-11 across Wiltshire, educating them about drugs and alcohol and building a healthy relationship with the Police.

Relate Mid-Wilts for a project reducing the impact of crime on the emotional health of young people and children who are often forgotten in the aftermath of violent crime.