A programme that helps to repair damage caused by anti-social behaviour has facilitated over a thousand hours of reparative work in community spaces across the county.
Northamptonshire Community Justice, previously named Immediate Justice, gives people who have committed low-level offences the opportunity to repair harm they have caused to communities by cleaning up and restoring public areas, community spaces and parks.
Seventy of those hours have been spent clearing, weeding and planting at two community allotments in Northamptonshire, the Daylight Veggie Patch in Wollaston, and the Green Patch Community Allotment in Kettering.
The Daylight Veggie Patch is a working allotment that provides produce for the Food Bank and Community Café at the Daylight Fellowship Centre in Wellingborough. The Green Patch Allotment provides more than 2000kg of food to the local community in Kettering and runs 1,500 specialist workshops and activities per year.
Both allotments are important assets to each of their communities, offering safe spaces for people to volunteer their time and support people in need.
Sixteen offenders aged between 14 and 58 who have been stopped by the police for committing low-level offences in areas across the county have been working at the allotments to repair the damage they have caused.
Cliff, from the Green Patch Community Allotment was pleased with the impact the Team have had on the allotment.
He said: “The Northampton Community Justice Team have integrated seamlessly alongside our volunteer days. Their contributions have truly made a positive impact on our community garden.”
“We have had some of the individuals on the programme come back as volunteers, continuing to contribute their time in a positive way.”
Jo West, Allotment Lead for the Daylight Centre Fellowship said having offenders at the Veggie Patch has been rewarding.
She said: “Having the Immediate Justice Team and the offenders coming to the Daylight Veggie Patch has been very rewarding, they do any job I give them and work hard.
“The main aim of the Veggie Patch is to promote mental health and wellbeing, and you can really see the change in people even after just a few hours.
“It has been a privilege having them and I hope we have given them a sense of pride and achievement.”
The programme was previously funded by the Home Office, which has now concluded. Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone is continuing to fund the project for at least the next year, so that important work to improve our communities can continue.
Danielle said: “I am glad to be able to fund this programme so great work like this can continue. Community Justice has been able to give many offenders a chance to make a positive contribution to our county and members of the public can see justice being done.
“These allotments are fantastic assets. I am pleased that they have received help through the programme and that offenders have the opportunity to give back to the community, and visibly repair some harm they have caused.”
