A GROUP that supports young victims of violent and sexual crime has a won a £5,000 Diamond Jubilee Grant.

SAFE!, which is based at Oxford Business Park South, supports people, aged eight to 25, who have been the victims of bullying and crime, usually violent or sexual.

In 2012, the charity received 74 referrals, of which 25 were for violent crimes, 24 for sexual offences, 18 for bullying (including cyberbullying) and six for domestic abuse or witnessing domestic violence. The rest were for other offences including burglary, theft, robbery and threats.

Its chairman of trustees, Peter Wallis, said: “Nearly all the money that is donated to SAFE! goes into offering direct support to clients. The Diamond Grant will enable us to provide around 100 sessions of support, and help us with our record of never turning away a young person on grounds of us having insufficient funds.”

Grants are funded by the Oxfordshire Jubilee Fund, which was launched for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in April, to provide much-needed cash legacies for the county’s small and struggling charities.

Businesses, schools and individuals have been donating to the fund ever since and this year £5,000 grants will be distributed to groups.

Oxfordshire Community Foundation, which is overseeing the Jubilee Fund, shortlisted five charities from 40 groups which applied for the most recent grant. Before Christmas the groups gave a presentation about their work to the independent grants panel.

Presenting alongside SAFE! were Daybreak, which runs day clubs for adults with dementia; The Oxford Wheels Project, which is fundraising for a permanent wheels-based sports facility in Meadow Lane, Oxford; Assisted Reading for Children (ARCh), which sends volunteers into schools to help children read, and Base 33 Youth Trust, which mentors disaffected youth in West Oxfordshire.

Lady Stephanie North OBE, chairman of the judging panel, said: “It was not easy to decide, but the panel was impressed by SAFE!’s well researched and excellently implemented programme, which focuses on the individual.”

New Diamond Grant applications are now being sought for consideration later this month.
Every Oxfordshire community group irrespective of size, income and purpose can be nominated by itself, or by someone it has helped, and all will be considered.
No formal grant application is required other than 600 words explaining the group’s work and its impact.
Nominations should be emailed to diamond@ oxfordshire.org or posted to: Oxfordshire Community Foundation, 3 Woodin’s Way, Oxford, OX1 1HD.
For more information visit: oxfordshire.org and localgiving.com/charity/safe