Bradford girls group set up safer community project

Posted 01/07/14

Bradford's Frizinghall Girls Group received a Hero Award at the Trading Standards Institute’s (TSI) Conference in Harrogate on Tuesday for the significant contribution they made to consumer protection in their local area.

In a community project created and delivered by the Frizinghall Girls Group (FGG), the 16 member strong team aged between 12 and 18 began a crime prevention project, supported by West Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Trading Standards.

The girls identified that one of the main problems in their area was cold callers targeting vulnerable residents, as well as the theft of Asian gold. The group created two Cold Calling Zones, encompassing over 250 homes and a 12 minute long crime prevention video to be shown around their community. In addition to this, the group worked with elderly residents attached to the Big Lottery funded 'SAFER Project' delivered by West Yorkshire Trading Standards' Education Team, which aims to empower older and vulnerable people to feel more confident and help protect themselves.

In a bid to maximise the potential benefits, the FGG applied funding taken from the Proceeds of Crime Act to the campaign, bringing the total funding raise for the campaign to £1500.

TSI chief executive Leon Livermore said: 'As the recent TSI Workforce Survey shows, funding for trading standards services across England and Wales will decline on an average of more than 40% over the lifetime of this parliament. While we work toward a more consistent funding mechanism, heroes like the Frizinghall Girls Group play a vital role in helping trading standards officers protect vulnerable members of the community. The group's partnership with Yorkshire Police is a prime example of how consumer protection can be done successfully, resulting in a win-win situation for those taking part and the communities they live in.

“I am delighted to present Frizinghall Girls Group with a TSI Hero Award, giving it well deserved national recognition both at the level of the individual volunteers and at the collective trading standards level.”

The Hero Award is a fantastic opportunity for TSI to celebrate outstanding contributions by individuals or groups of people to consumer protection in our communities.

Every year TSI is deeply inspired by the stories of winners from around the country – their bravery, altruism and hard work, which too often does not receive due recognition – and presents them with an award at TSI's annual conference. 

For more information please contact press office at [email protected] or 08456089430 / 07780675815. Follow us on Twitter @tsi_uk or #TSIConf

Notes for Editors:

Pictured left to right: CEO Leon Livermore, PCSO Danny Mynott, Javeria Ishaq, Lisa-Marie Wilson and TSI Chairman John Peerless.

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Trading Standards Institute (TSI)

TSI is a training and membership organisation that has represented the interests of the Trading Standards profession since 1881 nationally and internationally.  We aim to raise the profile of the profession while working towards fairer, better informed and safer consumer and business communities.

TSI’s members are engaged in delivering frontline trading standards services in local authorities and in businesses.  

www.tradingstandards.gov.uk @tsi_uk 

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