Funds given to help tackle crime

Community groups which help tackle crime have been awarded grants from a trust funded by Kent Police.

Kent People's Trust selected five causes for its latest round of donations, awarded every three months.

Family Matters, based in Gravesend, was given £2,500 towards its work with children and young people who have been sexually assaulted.

The Canterbury Oast Trust received £2,306 for garden equipment for a vocational programme for ex-offenders.

West Kent Women's Refuge also received funding for give counselling to the children who flee with their mothers to the refuge.

Jacqueline Cassidy, director of Kent People's Trust, said: "Stopping domestic abuse has always been one of the main goals of the trust, and we are delighted to support the incredible work that is being done across the county to tackle this hidden crime."

New volunteer mediators will be trained by West Kent Mediation with their grant.

A small grant was also given to two police community support officers in Maidstone so they can give young people free reflective arm bands as part of a bike road safety programmes in the autumn.