Local organisation KIDS has been awarded a free security kit to help secure their Orchard Centre premises. The award was made during the Covid-19 lockdown and was part of an initiative by the Secure Communities Scheme to help community projects meet the unexpected costs of securing premises during the pandemic.
The KIDS Orchar
d Centre draws children from across Dudley and the Black Country into a fun, friendly and confidence-building club. It is able to support young people with disabilities or who are disadvantaged by their circumstances or environment. The first goal is to have fun and make friends, but in the process build skills and increase well-being by creating confidence. The Centre needed to be a place of security as well as a place of support, so the Secure Communities Scheme has supplied a free kit to increase security around the building. In addition to standard locking products, a Burg-Wächter post box was also provided to help keep confidential mail secure.
From KIDS Orchard Centre, Rebecca Attwood commented: “Burg-Wächter’s incredible donation enabled us to secure the outside shed, windows and side gates during lockdown. The Orchard Centre has previously been broken into, so the donation enabled us to keep the centre safe during lockdown. We have also been able to secure inside cupboards. Due to Covid-19 there was a number of items we couldn’t use so these got locked away in cupboards to ensure we were safe to open to the young people over the summer. This has been a simple but really effective way of helping all the children, young people and families we support in the local area.”
Mark Pearson from Burg-Wächter, the company behind the Secure Communities Scheme commented: “Burg-Wächter is known for its comprehensive choice of locking products as well as an extensive range of safes and post-boxes. We saw a rise in demand for such products during the Covid-19 lockdown. We knew that communities would struggle to meet the unexpected cost of providing extra security during the restrictions, so we adapted our existing Secure Communities Scheme to reflect this need. Since lockdown commenced, we have provided over 20 security kits worth £150 each to communities across the UK, with many more applications currently being processed. We hope the Scheme’s support for the KIDS Orchard Centre will allow them to continue their excellent work with children and their families without having the added burden of security concerns.”
The Secure Communities Scheme is now seeking more applications from community projects that are still affected by the pandemic restrictions. Any local initiative that is run by or supports the local community can apply. Successful applicants receive a tailored security kit to help secure property, premises, equipment or storage areas to the value of £150. Successful applications are selected dependent on their engagement with local communities, the impact of the lockdown on security requirements and the benefits that increased security can provide. Application forms for the Secure Communities Scheme can be found here: https://uk.burg.biz/community/. More information on KIDS Orchard Centre can be found here: https://www.kids.org.uk/orchard-centre-short-breaks