NORTH WALES Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Andy Dunbobbin visited The Hummingbird Project in Abergele on 24 April to see how they are using some of the ill-gotten gains of criminals to help some of the most vulnerable people in North Wales when they need it most through the Your Community, Your Choice fund.
Your Community, Your Choice is decided through a public vote and supported by the PCC, North Wales Police, and the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT). The funding comes partly from money seized by the courts through the Proceeds of Crime Act, with the remainder provided by the Police and Crime Commissioner.
The Hummingbird Project was set up by Pam Lake and Lizzy Day to support the local community. It is a not-for-profit organisation which supports people of North Wales who are in need by working with statutory and voluntary partners.
Pam started the project from her own home and they have now managed to grow the project to include their own premises to further support people. They provide household goods, including bedding and beds, for families and individuals who are in need. They source items from the community and pass them on free of charge.
Their biggest ask is for beds and, since they began, they have given over 350 beds to children and adults who were without somewhere to sleep. An issue for them is the difficulty in responding quickly to emergency requests and to organise donation and delivery, as they are reliant on the generosity of the community in donating beds.
To combat this, The Hummingbird Project came up with the new project which your Community, Your Choice funding is supporting. It is called the ‘Safe Sleep Project’ and the pilot will allow The Hummingbird Project to provide beds quickly to those most vulnerable who are often victims of violence or crime, and who have had to move on from refuges or other services and don’t have the means to purchase beds for themselves.
PCC Dunbobbin was joined at The Hummingbird Project’s hub in Bridge Street, Abergele by Dave Evans from PACT, where they met project founder Pam Lake and other members of the team. They discussed the ‘Safe Sleep Project’ and the difference it will make for local people, and the need in the local community for services and support like this.
Pam Lake from The Hummingbird Project commented: “We are delighted that the public supported this project and are grateful to the Commissioner, PACT and North Wales Police for their interest in what we are doing.
“We support individuals and families from Conwy and Denbighshire to access items they are unable to get for themselves. The ‘Sleep Safe Project’ funding will make a massive difference to the speed we will be able to get beds to those in most need.
“Working with a local bed company, Perfect Dreams, we have already delivered a brand-new bed which was very gratefully received.”
Andy Dunbobbin, North Wales Police & Crime Commissioner, said: “It was inspiring to visit Pam and the team at The Hummingbird Project and to learn more about their dedication to helping people in need in the local community.
“Supporting communities is a key priority in my Police and Crime Plan for North Wales and Pam and her hard-working team are an example of people doing this day-in, day-out for the benefit of others.”
PACT Chairman Ashley Rogers said: “I am pleased that we have been able to support The Hummingbird Project through Your Community, Your Choice, so that they can help provide a safe place to sleep for some of the most vulnerable people in society.
“It is clear to me that their work is hugely valued and appreciated by the local community and they are worthy recipients of the funding.”
North Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Gareth Evans commented: “I am pleased to see that a very worthwhile organisation like The Hummingbird Project is using funds seized from criminals to provide much-needed support to the local community.
“Importantly, having a safe place to sleep and support can also help protect extremely vulnerable people from falling prey to crime. We thank Pam and her team for their dedication and hard work.”
Over the past twelve years, Your Community, Your Choice has awarded almost £660,000 to 214 projects working to reduce crime in their neighbourhoods and support the priorities in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan.
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.
If agencies would like help from the Hummingbirds for people they are supporting, or need further information please email them at [email protected] or find them on Facebook.
